


A Fighting Chance

by addison116



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-21
Updated: 2014-10-17
Packaged: 2018-01-05 09:51:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 46,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1092498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addison116/pseuds/addison116
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after the season 4 mid-season finale.  Daryl and Beth have been wandering in the woods, fighting to survive, slowly making their way to their meet-up location.  Will they be able to make it?  And if they do, who else survived the attack on the prison?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own or have the rights to any of The Walking Dead characters.

Ch.1

They had been traveling for days. Beth was exhausted, and she could tell that, even through his tough exterior, Daryl was too. He had done his best to get them food, but the animals were scarce, so they had resorted to eating berries. Beth knew they weren’t poisonous; her father had taught her the difference between poisonous and nonpoisonous berries when she was just a little girl. But berries wouldn’t be enough to sustain them for much longer, and they hadn’t been able to find water. They knew they needed to keep walking.

She knew the woods were a dangerous place, but it made it even worse now that she didn’t have a weapon. The only thing that kept a walker from eating her alive was Daryl and his crossbow. He had taken down a few, maybe three of four, but they had tried to steer clear of walkers when they saw them, quietly creeping away, afraid that where there was one there were more. It seemed that the walkers had started herding together rather than straying away from each other and attacking their prey.

“You still there, kid?” 

“Yeah, right behind you.”

“I think we’re getting close. Do you need a break?”

Beth simply shook her head no. Daryl had been keeping a close eye on her since the attack on the prison. He knew how close she had been with Hershel, and he wasn’t sure how his sudden and gruesome death would affect her. She had held herself together for the first couple miles after they’d left the prison, she had simply walked right beside him not saying a word, and then she had stopped walking. When Daryl had turned around he saw Beth, just standing there, her hand to her face and tears brimming at her eyes before they finally started to roll down her face. He hadn’t been sure what to do; he had never been the comforting kind, and he couldn’t even imagine the pain she was feeling in that moment. He finally decided to walk over to her and pull her close, letting her sob into his chest as he continuously reassured her that everything was going to be alright, even though he was quite uncertain about the words he spoke.

They had decided to set up camp there; they were far enough from the prison that it would take the walkers a while to reach them, and the sun had already begun setting. Daryl knew how to make a fire, so he made one and decided to let Beth sleep while he kept watch. Instead of watching their surroundings he had watched Beth; he knew that he would be able to hear a walker approaching. Beth was restless, she had a hard time falling asleep, and when she had finally drifted off she was haunted by the image of the Governor swinging Michonne’s sword to her father’s neck. She eventually awoke to Daryl putting a hand over her mouth and hushing her. She had been screaming from the terror of her dreams, and Daryl was afraid her screams would attract walkers. After that she couldn’t go back to sleep. Her father’s death haunted every minute of sleep she got, resulting in complete and utter exhaustion.

Now, as they were just miles from the farm, they were both bound and determined to finish this journey today. They weren’t sure if the farm would still be overrun with walkers, or if they had simply moved on like their group had. Daryl kept Beth close, occasionally grabbing her wrist to drag her behind him as they walked. While he had never made an actual promise to Hershel, after his death Daryl had secretly promised to keep Beth safe and do whatever he had to keep her alive, at least until they were reunited with the group. He knew the girl was defenseless without him, and while she may have been slowing him down, he enjoyed the company; he knew that if no one else had made it out of the prison alive he would still have someone by his side as he tried to survive in this world.

They kept moving forward, and surprisingly had no interference with walkers. They walked a few more miles before the first signs of the farm appeared; the river where Daryl had found Sophia’s doll, he would remember it for the rest of his life. He now knew they were heading the right way and would be there within an hour.

“We’re almost there.” Beth gave him a little smile that could barely pass as a smile, and Daryl could sense something was on her mind. “You okay?”

“No, I mean I don’t know.” Her voice was soft and quiet, barely audible. “What if Maggie isn’t there? What if she didn’t make it?”

He understood what she was saying. He remembered when he had found out that Merle was still alive and the relief he had felt, and then he remembered when he had died. While Daryl had never really been that close to him, Merle was the only family he had left. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what she going through. Maggie and Beth’s relationship was something special, something he had admired, and the thought of Beth losing Maggie and her father at the same time made his stomach churn and instantly angered him. “She’s fine. Maggie made it.”

“You don’t know that.” Her eyes were beginning to fill with tears and her voice cracked. 

“You’re right, I don’t. But I do know that Maggie is one tough mother fu—“ He stopped himself before he finished saying the word. He never really cursed in front of Beth, he knew Hershel disapproved of his cursing so he had always watched his language around Beth.

His almost slip made her smile a little, it lightened the mood, but she still couldn’t take her mind off of the thought of being the only one left from her family. She had already seen her mother, brother, Patricia, Jimmy, and her father die, and she couldn’t deal with the thought of her sister being gone too. “What happens if she’s dead? What am I supposed to do?”

“Hey, like I said, she’s tough. And, if for some reason she didn’t make it, you have us. You won’t be alone.”

The edge of the woods began to emerge, and a white house began to form through the trees. From way back here it didn’t look like there was any sign of life, and Daryl was beginning to think that Beth was right, that Maggie didn’t make it, that nobody had made it. But then, just as they were stepping out from the trees, leaving the woods behind them, the first signs of life appeared with a blurred group of people coming from the house.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch.2 

They couldn’t tell who was still alive; they were too far away to make out any faces. From what he could make out there looked to be at least ten people standing on the porch. He was still holding onto Beth’s wrist when he felt her suddenly stop, frozen in fear.

“I don’t see her, Daryl, I don’t see her there.”

“Heck, I can’t tell who anyone is. We aren’t close enough yet to see who it is,” he said, giving her wrist a light tug, but to no avail.

“I would be able to tell if she was there.”

“Let’s just get to the house, she could be inside. What else are you going to do? Just stay here and wait for a walker to get you?” He tugged at her wrist again and she followed.  
……………................................................................................................................................................................................. 

Maggie had been sitting in the house. She, Sasha, and Bob had gotten there two days ago, and everyone else had arrived that night or the next day, everyone except Daryl and Beth. She hadn’t been able to sleep since they got there, she was too worried about Beth and wanted to make sure she was awake, just in case Beth arrived. Everyone had been reassuring her that she was probably with Daryl, and that anyone with Daryl had a better shot at surviving than any of them had being together as a large group, but the thought still lurked in her mind that Beth hadn’t made it out of the prison, or that if she had she had been attacked by a walker. 

The thought of her little sister out in the woods alone made her nauseous. It was her who had told Beth to get the kids on the bus. The kids had been with Tyreese, though, so Beth wouldn’t have been able to find them. She would have been alone; the bus had left her behind. Would she know how to find her way back to the farm? Did she have anything to use as a weapon against walkers? What if she had run into another group of people? At first the thought had calmed Maggie, until she remembered that the world they lived in now was not as kind as the world they had lived in. If Beth had run into another group of people there was no telling if they were good or bad, and if they were the latter, what they would do to her. These thoughts kept racing through her mind, and she kept thinking of new scenarios that her sister could have found herself in, each one more terrifying than the last.

That’s what she was doing that day. She was pacing back and forth in the living room, which surprisingly looked exactly how they had left it, occasionally taking a seat. Everyone was inside. Sasha had been trying to calm Maggie down, trying to be reassuring.

“Maggie, why don’t you sit down? I can go and get you a glass of water.” She heard the words but didn’t say anything. “Maggie, she’s going to be fine.”

“Really? Do you really think that? Do you really think she is fine?” Maggie spat out, not realizing the malice in her tone until she had said it. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that to you. I’m just, I’m just scared.” She was nodding her head and finally took a seat.

“I know.”

“Even if she did make it out of the prison do you really think her head was in the right place to be able to survive? You don’t know her like I do, Sasha, I don’t think she’d be able to make it after seeing my dad…” She stopped herself before she went any further. She hadn’t given her self much time to fully comprehend her father’s death, and all she could think of was the small scar on her sister’s wrist, evidence of how she dealt with the death of her mother. She knew that Beth had grown, but to Maggie Beth was still the fragile little girl who had tried to slit her wrist, the girl who hadn’t been able to cope with the loss of her mother who had already been gone. It was this version of her sister that she feared had returned after having watched her father be decapitated, this version that she feared wouldn’t be able to survive.

“I think she’s tougher than you give her credit for; I think she would be able to get her head straight, at least until she got here.”

Out of the corner of her eyes Maggie saw Rick, Michonne, Carl, Glenn, Tyreese, and a few others exit the house and go out on the porch. She ignored the sudden emptiness of the house, that is until she heard the door slam and saw Glenn rush in yelling her name.

“Maggie! Maggie! Come here, come on, hurry,” he said as he went over to her and grabbed her arms, leading her out to the porch. “Look. Do you see that?”

Maggie squinted her eyes and could just make out two figures emerging from the woods. One appeared to be a quite a few inches taller than the other, more muscular too. She didn’t want to believe as she put two and two together. 

“It’s not them, it can’t be.” But as the figures got closer she could make out the crossbow slung across the man’s back and the mop of blond hair of the girl. It was Daryl and Beth; they had made it.  
……………............................................................................................................................................................................... 

As Daryl continued to pull her forward she could start to make out the people standing on the porch. She could see Rick and Carl, and Michonne and Tyreese. And then she saw Glenn, but there was no Maggie. Her stomach dropped and she could feel tears beginning to form. She saw as Glenn ran inside, and after what seemed like hours, she could see him reemerging with two women; Sasha and Maggie. Maggie leapt off of the porch and began running towards her, and Beth did the same thing. The distance between them seemed like miles, and Beth’s legs couldn’t carry her fast enough. Before she’d even reached her sister she had tears streaming down her face. And then she heard a thud as she and her sister finally met, Maggie’s arms wrapping around her sister.

“Beth, Beth, I am so sorry. I should have never left you alone.”

“It’s okay,” Beth said, barely able to form words between her sobs.

“I am so, so sorry,” Maggie said, as she gently rested her chin on Beth’s head and closed her eyes, relieved that her fears were finally put to rest. 

They stayed there for a few minutes, crying and hugging each other, afraid to let each other go again. The other members of the group had assembled on the porch; a few of them had made their way to where Maggie and Beth stood. After letting go of each other Maggie went over to Daryl, giving him the lightest of hugs, knowing he knew what she meant.

“Thank you for keeping her safe.”

“Ah, it was nothing,” Daryl casually brushed it off.

Beth started walking towards the house, but was stopped by Rick, who hugged her.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine I think.”

“I’m so sorry Beth. I should have done more, I should have acted sooner, just told him he could have the prison.”

Beth remained silent, the wound caused by her fathers death still too fresh to form a scar. When he let her go understanding that she didn’t blame him but that she needed her time to heal, she continued her walk to the house and up the porch.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch.3

Everyone had gone inside, everyone but Beth, who remained sitting on the porch steps. She knew that she should go in and be with the rest of the group, but she couldn’t bring herself to step foot in that house. That house had too many memories, it held too much pain. Even just looking out at the yard she could feel an ache in her heart and a pit in her stomach. Right over there to her left was where she had ran to the truck, her hand grasping Patricia even as the walkers began to swarm, not ready to let go until Lori had forced their hands apart. And off to her right were the burnt remains of the barn where her father had locked the creatures that had once been her mother and brother in hopes that a cure would come.

She had thought she’d changed, that she’d become a different person, someone who no longer cried, but she was wrong. It took everything in her not to cry as she stared blankly out into the distance, her eyes gazing the farm where her family had once lived in peace. The stark contrast between the beauty this place once was and the horror it had become were noticeable in every inch of the land. From where she was sitting on the porch she could make out a tree with a rope dangling from it. When she was little, her father had hung the rope there and attached a tire, making the perfect swing. Now the end of the rope was frayed and the tire was long gone. More than ten wooden crosses now stood just a few feet from where she used to swing, marking the graves of people she had loved, and enveloping a place that had once been full of joy and childhood dreams with terror and nightmares.

She was brought back to reality by the sound of the creaky porch as someone walked towards her. Maggie. She silently handed her a glass of water and sat down next to her. They both remained quiet for a few minutes, just taking in the scenery before them. Then Maggie broke the silence.

“Are you alright?” she asked, her head still looking straight ahead but her eyes peering at Beth quizzically.

Beth remained silent, not knowing how to respond. She didn’t want to worry her sister, but she also didn’t want to lie. She wasn’t alright. Nothing about her was alright. And she didn’t know if she would ever be fine again.

“No one is expecting you to be fine, Beth.”

“I was so scared. I didn’t know if you were alive.” Her voice was quiet, barely audible.

“I know.” Maggie now turned her head to look at her sister, who was still staring out onto the farm. “I promise I will never leave you again.”

Beth just nodded her head in agreement.

“Come in when you’re ready.” Maggie gave Beth a small smile before standing up and returning to the house.

Beth sat the glass of water aside and rested her head against the railing. She could faintly hear voices coming from inside, but she wasn’t able to make anything out. She was almost certain that they were talking to Maggie about her. Probably asking her questions to figure out how Beth was holding up. They were probably asking Daryl why it took them so long to make it back to the farm. And they were probably making plans as to what they should do next. As the sun began to fade beneath the trees Beth’s eyes grew heavy. Still not ready to go inside she fell asleep listening to the voices trailing out from the house.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………......................................................................

It was dark now and everyone was beginning to get tired. They started making sleeping arrangements. They had set up the few tents they had had in the bus out back. Thankfully the house was big enough for most of the group to sleep inside.

“Should we bring her inside?” Sasha asked, looking out at Beth.

“No, I don’t want to rush her. She’ll come in when she’s ready.”

“I’ll bring her a blanket. I can stay outside with her until she comes in. I’ll keep watch, make sure no walkers come,” Glenn volunteered.

He walked to where he had set his gun and then retrieved a blanket. He then went outside to where Beth was. He was quiet and made sure not to wake her as he gently put the blanket around her. He then went and took a seat on one of the chairs on the porch, his gun in hand. The two of them didn’t talk much, but Glenn still thought of Beth as a little sister, and staying out here with her tonight was the least he could do for her. A few moments later Maggie joined Glenn out on the porch.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“Do you need anything?”

“No, I’m fine. But you should go and get some sleep.” 

Maggie didn’t protest, instead she willingly went inside and to her room, leaving Glenn and Beth alone. Glenn was still a little tired from the illness he had had, but he was mostly recovered. He stayed out there on the porch keeping watch until the sun began to rise, and then went inside as soon as he heard that someone else was up.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………......................................................................

Beth awoke surprised. She didn’t remember falling asleep and she was confused as to how the blanket wrapped around her had got there. Her neck ached from the odd position she had slept in on the porch. She sat there a few more minutes trying to decide what to do. And then she stood up. She couldn’t stay out here forever; she would have to go inside eventually, and now was as good a time as any.

She walked to the door and reached her hand out for the handle, but hesitated and was overcome by a wave of nerves and emotions. She heard a few voices inside. She could make out Rick’s voice and Maggie’s, Sasha’s, Carl’s, and a few of the Woodbury people. She took a deep breath and pulled open the door, and slowly took a step inside. The voices hushed as they realized Beth had finally come in. 

While the outside of the house had weathered and become run down, the inside had remained in tact and looked exactly how they had left it. Family pictures were hung on the walls, and the furniture remained in its place. Beth moved further into the house, and without realizing it she was making her way up the stairs to her room. 

She opened her bedroom door and stepped inside. Her bed was neatly made. A vase full of dead and wilted wildflowers Jimmy had given her sat on her night table; the note he had written to her sat beside it. The family picture they had taken when she was just six was still on her dresser, surrounded by two other framed pictures of family and friends. 

She walked to her closet and began searching for something. She finally found the box she had been looking for. She took off the lid and could feel the tears beginning to fall from her eyes, and she brushed them away. She reached in the box and took out what she had been looking for, a scrapbook she had made for her mother for her birthday, a present she was never able to give. She began flipping through the pages and looking at the pictures. One page was full of pictures of just her and her mother, another of her father and mother. Each page brought back memories.

She was interrupted by someone behind her. She wasn’t sure how long he had been there, he remained quiet, just watching, until he finally found his voice and spoke.

“You comin’ down stairs?” It was Daryl. He must have slept in the room down the hall last night and just woke up.

Beth again wiped the tears from her face, trying to hide the fact that she had been crying, before she looked at him. “Um, yeah.”

“What are you looking at?” He gestured toward the open book before her, and she quickly shut it and put it back in the box.

“It’s nothing.”

He didn’t question her. Instead he followed behind her as they made their way down the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

When they got to the kitchen Daryl didn’t hesitate to grab some of the food lying on the counter. They didn’t have much, and what they did have wouldn’t last. They would need more food, and fast. Maggie looked to Beth and patted the seat next to her.

“Come on, I’ll get you some food.”

Beth was about to object, thinking that she would leave the food to those who need it, like the children, but then she realized just how hungry she was. Since leaving the prison she had lost quite a bit of weight; the few berries she had been eating hadn’t done much to fill her stomach. Maggie sat a bowl of mixed fruit down in front of Beth and sat back down next to her. Beth began eating.

“We’re going to be needing more food. I was thinking I would go out hunting today.” Daryl said with a mouth full of food. Obviously the berries hadn’t been enough to fill his stomach either. “Is there anymore food in the bus?”

“No, we brought everything inside,” Rick said, looking over at the remaining canned food on the counter.

“Well, I don’t think a few squirrels will be enough. We’re going to need more.”

“I know, but we can’t risk going on a supply run yet.” It was Sasha who spoke this time.

“I was going to have Carl go out and look for some food today. Beth, would you go with him? You know what plants are edible out there. I’m afraid if I let Carl go out alone he will bring back something poisonous, get us all sick.” Rick gave Carl a little nudge on the shoulder.

Beth didn’t answer quickly. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to go back into the woods. She was afraid that something would happen and she would be separated from Maggie again. But she knew that there wasn’t much else she could do, and she knew that, other than Maggie, she was one of the only people in the group who knew what plants were edible and what ones were poisonous. “Sure, I’ll go.”

“Maybe we can arrange for a supply run later this week. We don’t have a lot of weapons; most of our guns are still back at the prison, so we’re going to need to stay close, be careful.”

Beth finished eating and carried her bowl to the sink, the same place where everyone else had set their dishes even though there was no running water to wash them. She thought about bringing this up, but washing dishes was the least of their worries right now. If they decided to stay here they would figure out a way to clean dishes.

“Are you ready to go?” Carl came up behind her, making her jump a little.

“Yeah.”

By now everyone was beginning to get up from the table and go about their business, doing what needed to be done to allow the group to survive for another day. Daryl, Rick, Maggie, Carl, and Beth walked outside. Daryl walked over to his crossbow he had set on the porch and grabbed a bag that he used to put his kill in.

“Carl, stay close, don’t go too far into the woods. We don’t have much ammunition, so only use your gun if you need to.”

“I know.”

“Beth, do you have a weapon?”

Beth simply shook her head no. She had a knife back at the prison, but she wasn’t able to take it with her when they left. Rick handed her a knife he had in his belt.

“Don’t be gone long. If anything happens fire your gun…we should be able to hear it back here.”

They started to walk away, but Maggie pulled Beth aside. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? If you don’t want to go you don’t have to.”

“I’m fine, really.”

“I know, just, be careful.” Maggie hugged her and then handed her a little bag. It was similar to the one Daryl had but it was much smaller. “You can put whatever you find in here.”

“Thanks.”

Carl and Beth then started walking towards the woods. It didn’t take them long to reach the edge; both of them were fast walkers. Neither of them had said a word to each other during their walk. They entered the woods and walked side-by-side, both keeping a watchful eyes out for walkers.

“Do you know what you’re looking for?” Carl asked as Beth leaned down next to a low branch of a tree with some strange looking berries on it.

“Yes. My daddy taught me what foods are edible in the wild and what aren’t. These are laurelcherries. They aren’t very filling, but they’ll do.” Beth grabbed a few handfuls and placed the berries in the bag.

They continued walking, being sure not to venture too far from the farm. Beth would occasionally stop and pick a few berries or other plants. When she leaned down and started picking something that even Carl recognized he started laughing.

“What?”

“We can eat clovers?”

“I’ve never had them, but I know they’re edible.”

Carl reached down and grabbed one and began chewing on it. His face contorted a little. “Not the best thing I’ve eaten.”

“I think you’re supposed to boil them or something. I’m not sure. Maggie should know what you do with them.” Carl handed Beth one and she took it. Her face contorted the same way that Carl’s did when she began chewing. “Maybe we shouldn’t bring these back.”

“Nah, like you said, maybe Maggie knows what to do with them.”

They walked a little more before stopping to take a break. Carl handed her a bottle of water and she took a sip before handing it back to him. “Thanks.”

“I’m sorry about your dad.”

Beth looked at him and shrugged her shoulders a little. “I just wish he were here with us.” For some reason she felt like she could open up to Carl, that was probably because he had been through something similar when he lost his mom. 

“It gets better.” 

She wanted to believe him, but right now she didn’t feel like it ever would. “We should probably start heading back to the farm. Maggie is probably going crazy that we aren’t back yet.” They both stood up and started walking back the way they had come. And, like on their way here, they barely spoke to each other.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited for this chapter; it sort of lays the ground work for the next few chapters.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Ch.5

By the time Carl and Beth made it back to the farm it was late in the afternoon. Daryl had already returned from his hunt and had managed to kill a possum, two rabbits, and six squirrels. As soon as she’d seen them approaching, Maggie had run out of the house and was at her sister’s side.

“What took you guys so long?” She was checking Beth over for any scratches or cuts, anything that could possibly lead to an infection, or worse, the fever that would lead to her death.

“We didn’t know we were supposed to hurry.” 

“It looks like you have a full bag; what’s in there?” It was Tyreese now who spoke.

“A bunch of stuff. Laurelcherries, elderberries, a few mushrooms. You may want to check the mushrooms again though, make sure they aren’t the poisonous ones. Maggie, do you know what you’re supposed to do with clovers?” Beth glanced over to Carl with a smirk.

“You boil them. Why?” 

“I told you,” Beth said with another glance at Carl. “Carl didn’t believe me that they are edible, and we tried them raw and they aren’t that good.”

“I’ll make some up tonight for dinner.”

Carl and Beth followed behind Maggie as she went into the kitchen and set the bag of plants on the counter. Daryl was sitting at the table messing with one of his arrows and Rick seemed to be oblivious to their presence as he rocked a sleeping Judith in his arms. When he finally looked up from the child he began talking to Carl.

“Did you see any walkers?”

“No; we really didn’t see anything other than plants.”

“It looks like you got a lot.”

“Yeah, Beth’s pretty good at picking out what we can and can’t eat.” Carl walked over to Rick and carefully took the baby from his arms. “Dad, I was thinking that maybe Beth and I could start doing this everyday. You know, our way of contributing to the group.”

Rick was silent, and so was everyone else in the room. Maggie had stopped foraging through the bag and Daryl’s hands had stopped fixing the arrow. Rick looked to the others, but none of them had anything to say.

“Carl, you know we appreciate you wanting to help out the group, but I’m sure we can find something back here at the farm for you two to do.”

“Dad, we need the food, and Beth obviously knows what she’s doing.”

“I know, but it’s dangerous out there. What if you ran into a herd of walkers? Just because we haven’t seen any since we’ve been here doesn’t mean there aren’t any around.”

“I have my gun, and Beth-Beth has a knife. We can protect ourselves.” Everyone in the room looked to Beth; they all knew she wasn’t a good fighter; in fact, she had never had to take down a walker when she wasn’t behind the safety of a fence. “Just think about it?”

“Sure, I’ll think about it, we’ll all think about it. But I’m not making any promises. Now why don’t you two go out back and check on the kids, see if Glenn needs anything.”

Carl nodded his head in agreement and both he and Beth went outside. As soon as they were out of earshot the conversation began.

“We can’t let them go out there.” It was obvious that Maggie didn’t like the idea, and everyone understood why.

“The kids got a point. Beth’s good at gettin’ berries and the like, heck, she did it for us on our way here. And we need the food.” Daryl was now working on the arrow again, meticulously making sure everything was properly in its place. “We can’t just rely on meat, because a few squirrels and a possum won’t last long and there’s no promise that I’ll be able to get more tomorrow.”  
“What if something happens when they’re out there? What if one of them gets hurt or bit?”

“Carl’s a good shot, and as long as they stay close we would be able to hear any shots he fired.” Rick knew his son’s aim was almost perfect; he almost never missed his target.

“I can’t let Beth go out there, I can’t risk her getting hurt; I can’t lose her too.”

“What if I sweep the area they would be searching in before they go out? I could do a quick sweep in the morning, make sure nothings there and then go out hunting.”

“That could work,” Rick said as he looked at Maggie, waiting for some sort of response.

“If anything happens to her-"

Daryl cut her off before she could finish. “It won’t; nothing will happen to her.”

That night they had the meat Daryl had managed to kill and the clovers Beth and Carl had brought back. The food had gone quickly; they had far too many mouths to feed and not enough food to feed them. They had managed to eat all of the meat and only a few berries were left.

“These clovers are a lot better boiled,” Carl said.

“I’m sure they are.”

“Have you guys thought about it?” Carl glanced over to his father, who was sitting directly across from him.

“We have.”

“And?”

“I’m gonna sweep the area before you two go out, make sure there ain’t nothin’ that’s gonna kill ya’.”

“Really?” Carl perked up, he was excited with the news; he had been almost certain that they would have said no.

“I expect that you’ll keep a good eye on my sister.”

“Of course. We’ll be fine. I promise we won’t be out long, just a few hours.”

“Beth, are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yeah.” She wasn’t very convincing.

“Just stay close to the farm. We don’t need you two getting lost.”

“We will, I promise.”  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………....................................................................

The day had started like any other. Carl and Beth got up, ate breakfast, and left with Daryl when he went out to hunt. Their search for food in the woods wasn’t very fruitful today; they had only been able to find a few handfuls of berries. Over the last week Carl and Beth had grown closer and had begun opening up to each other. Their conversations turned from pointless small talk about the animals Daryl had managed to catch and his retelling of the time he had seen a chupacabra, to deeper and more personal stories of the past and how they imagined their future in this unpredictable world would be. But even these more personal conversations hadn’t prepared Carl for what Beth would say next. Their pace had slowed considerably, not because they were tired, but because they enjoyed being in the woods.

”Do you believe in God?”

In all of their conversations neither of them had ever brought up God or religion or anything relating to that. “Um, I guess.”

“Do you believe in heaven?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“What do you think happens to us when we die? Do you think our souls go straight to heaven, or do you think they stay trapped in our bodies until the walker version of ourselves dies?” 

Carl didn’t get a chance to respond, because just as Beth was finishing her question there was a rustle in the bushes and the sound of a breaking twig. Carl raised his gun, ready to shoot the walker he knew was about to appear. They were taken aback when a human form emerged, a being that made no low growl or no attempt to lunge it’s teeth into their flesh. This being’s flesh was peachy, not ghoulishly pale, his eyes were clear. And apart from his hunched and exhausted posture, it was evident that he was living.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch.6

Carl kept his gun raised and protectively stepped in front of Beth, shielding her from the stranger who stood before them. The man looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. His dark brown hair was disheveled, dirt smeared his skin, and his clothes were tattered. Despite his run-down and frail appearance the man was much bigger than either of the two, and Carl was almost certain that if he really wanted to, the man could overpower the both of them.

It was when the man took a small step forward that Carl noticed the bloodied cloth wrapped around his lower arm, just below the elbow. And with the man’s step forward Carl took two steps back, pushing Beth behind him, who now had her hand gently resting on the knife in her belt, ready to pull it out if needed.

“Stop!” Carl yelled, freezing the man in his tracks. The man’s hands immediately went up in surrender, showing that he didn’t mean any harm.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

“What happened?” Carl asked, his eyes staring at the man’s arm. “Are you bit?”

“No, no, I’m not bit; it’s just a bad cut. I promise. Here, see for yourself.” The man slowly lowered his left hand to the cloth on his right arm, unwrapping it to reveal a long jagged cut extending horizontally. “It’s not a bite…Do you have a camp around here.”

When Carl didn’t respond he looked to Beth, his eyes taking in every inch of her body as he gazed up and down. The man’s sudden attention made Beth uncomfortable, but she didn’t falter in her stance or stare.

“So, do you have a camp?”

“What’s that?” Carl said, ignoring the man’s question and gesturing to the object loosely attached to his belt.

“What? Oh this? It’s just a little knife, nothing to be afraid of.” The man began to reach towards the knife.

“Don’t move!”

The man once again froze. “I’m just going to take it out, throw it over to you; I’m not going to use it,” and as the man said this he unattached the knife and gave it a slight toss in Carl and Beth’s direction.

“What’s your name?”

“Brett Guzman.”

“Where’s your group?”

“Don’t have one. It’s just me.” Knowing that he wasn’t going to get any answers from Carl, Brett once again turned his attention to Beth. “Do you have a group?”

He was answered with silence. Carl and Beth didn’t know what to do.

“I don’t mean to sound demeaning, but you two are just kids, I find it awfully hard to believe that you are surviving on your own.”

“What are we supposed to do? We can’t just leave him here?” Beth quietly whispered in Carl’s ear.

“I know.”

They were both thinking the same thing. The reason they couldn’t leave him out here wasn’t because of the gruesome cut on his arm that would likely kill him if it weren’t properly treated, but leaving him here meant risking that he would find their camp. Sure, one man probably couldn’t do much damage against a group as large as theirs, but if Brett had been lying and he did in fact have a group, how many people would there be? Would they be angry that they left one of their men there to die? Leaving him here was too risky, but taking him back with them posed it’s own risks.

Sensing the confusion, Brett spoke up. “Listen, why don’t you just take me back to your camp. I can talk to your leader, we can sort this out.”

“Shhh-just, be quiet. Let me think.”

“Carl, I know we’re both thinking the same thing. We should take him back, let your dad and Maggie and the council deal with this.”

“You should listen to the girl, she’s right. I promise I won’t try anything. You can trust me, I swear.”

They stood there in silence, Carl contemplating the decision at hand, thinking through all possible options and their possible outcomes. Then he finally came to a decision.

“Come on, you’re coming with us. But if you try anything, I swear, I’m not afraid to use this.”

They walked for minutes in complete silence, no one daring to say a word. Carl and Beth followed Brett from behind, guiding him when needed in the direction of the farm. Beth had retrieved the knife Brett had had and attached it to her belt.

“So, what’s your guys’ names?”

Silence.

“It’s just, I told you my name, I think it’s only fair you tell me yours.”

Silence.

“What’s the harm in telling me your name, nothing I can do with a name. Just trying to make small talk.”

“My name’s Beth, that’s Carl.”

“Where exactly is your camp? I can’t tell if we’re heading deeper into the woods or not.”

“It’s just up ahead a little ways.”

“How many people are there?”

Carl was the one to answer this time. “You’ll find out when we get there.”

“So Beth,” Brett said, glancing back at her and once again looking her up and down, “how old are you?”

“Shut up and keep walking.” Carl pressed his gun against the man’s back; an action to tell him the conversation was over. Carl was able to sense the discomfort Brett was causing Beth, and quite frankly, he just really didn’t like the idea of bringing this stranger back to their camp, a place where they had just started getting back to normal.

After a few more minutes of fast-paced walking the three of them finally push past the trees and on to the farm. Brett stopped, taking in all of the land, but Carl nudged him forward. When they got closer to the house Carl began yelling.

“Dad! Dad! Get out here now!”

At the sound of his son calling his name, Rick exited the house. Shock and disbelief took over his face. Soon after, a few others had joined him out on the porch. Rick rushed down to the man and Carl and Beth.

“Who is this?”

“His name’s Brett. We found him in the woods,” Beth said in her sweet, singsong voice that she always had.

“We didn’t know what to do. I’m sorry, Dad.”

“No, don’t be sorry. You did the right thing.”

Rick roughly grabbed the man by his arm and dragged him away from his son and Beth.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just thought I'd let you guys know that classes are going to be starting up again Monday, and, as always, school and good grades come first. I probably won't be able to post chapters as frequently as I have been doing. I'm going to try to get another chapter or two up before then.

Ch.7

They were all in the kitchen, all of the remaining members of the council. Beth, Carl, Judith, the other children, and a few of the people from Woodbury were told to remain outside. Brett was sitting at the table, everyone in the room staring at him. Sure, back at the prison they would have known what to do, they would have asked a few questions, see what kind of person he was, and then most likely he would become part of their group. But what were they supposed to do now? Could they still just let people in their group when they were so weak? The prison had offered them safety and security, but here on the farm they were defenseless, barely able to provide enough food for themselves.

Rick noticed the bandage on Brett’s arm. “Is that a bite?”

“It’s just a cut.”

“How bad?”

“Pretty bad.”

Bob walked over to Brett and looked at the cut on his arm. “It’s going to need stitches. It’s pretty dirty, there’s a chance he could get an infection.” Bob then went over and grabbed the few medical supplies that they had, and began stitching the man’s arm.

“How did you find them?”

“Who? Beth and Carl?” Rick looked at him confused, not sure how he knew their names. “I asked them, and they told, we were just making small talk; no harm in that.”

“How did you find them?”

“I was walking in the woods, trying to find someplace to stay, hoping to come across other people. And then I heard them talking; followed their voices for about a mile until I found them. I didn’t threaten them, I did as they said.”

“Do you have a group?”

“No, at least, not anymore.”

“What happened to them?”

“Nothing, I just decided to leave them.”

“Why?”

“They weren’t-they weren’t good people. I didn’t want to be a part of what they were doing. So I left, just walked away. There was no conflict, I just walked away, and they let me leave.”

“What do you mean they weren’t good people?”

“Surely you know what kind of people this world has produced; you’ve been on the road, seen the ruthlessness in the people…they’d steal whatever they could find, even if it meant leaving the people they were stealing from with nothing. They’d kill people for no reason, just for the fun of it. They weren’t good people; I couldn’t live with people like that.”

“How many were there?”

“Ten or eleven, including me.”

“And where is this group now?”

“Man, I don’t know. Last I saw of them they were heading north. That was over a week ago. They can’t be anywhere near here anymore.”

“Have you ever killed anyone?”

“What? No! Of course not. Like I said, I didn’t like the kind of people they were. I never took part in any of their crimes.”

Rick stepped out of the room and back onto the porch, and everyone but Bob, who was still stitching the man’s arm, followed him. He ran his hand through his hair, confusion taking over. He didn’t know what they should do.

“Rick, what are we supposed to do with him?” Sasha’s voice carried from behind Rick.

“I don’t know.”

“We can’t just leave him out there on his own.”

“I know. But can we risk taking him in?”

“He sounds fine, doesn’t seem like the people he was with. And he said his group was heading north; they shouldn’t be anywhere near us.”

“What do you guys think?” Rick turned to look at Maggie, Daryl, and Glenn.

Glenn was the first to respond. “I’m with Sasha, we can’t just let him go.”

“Yeah, but what if he’s lying?” Maggie’s voice was laced with concern.

“We have the numbers. He said there were only ten of them. We can just let him in, keep an eye on him. Let him heal, and then send him on his way if we want.” Daryl’s proposition caused everyone to stop and think it over. He was right, they would have the numbers.

“Are we in agreement? We wait ‘til he’s healed and then decide? If he does anything, tries anything, we send him on his way.” Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

When Rick and the other’s went back inside to talk to Brett, Maggie and Daryl remained outside. Daryl could sense that Maggie wanted a word with him, and he had a very good feeling that she wasn’t very happy with him. She waited until everyone had entered the house before she spoke.

“I thought you swept the area?”

“I did.”

“You couldn’t have done it too well.”

“What? You mad at me because they stumbled upon that kid in there? There was no way I could have known he was going to find them. He could have been miles away when I swept the area. Besides, he’s not dangerous. If he’d wanted to hurt them he could have.”

This struck a nerve in Maggie. “But what if he would have been dangerous, Daryl? What if he was like the men he was with? What if they had come across a group like that? Then what? What would have happened to them?”

“Maggie, you know that I wouldn’t have been able to find him out there if he was that far away.”

“They aren’t going out anymore. I’m not letting Beth go out there.” Maggie turned away from him and went into the house, leaving Daryl outside.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch.8

Carl waited for his dad to come outside. He was nervous of what his dad would think, of what the group would think, about him bringing Brett back to the camp. He had only just gotten his gun back a few weeks ago, and he was afraid that his dad would look at his actions as reckless. After a few hours his dad finally came outside, taking Judith from Beth.

Carl remained silent, trying to read his father’s face, attempting to decode what he was thinking before his father said anything. But his attempt was useless, because all he could see on his father’s face was exhaustion.

“Dad, did I do the wrong thing?”

Rick turned to look at his son. “What?”

“It’s just, I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t just leave him out there.”

“Carl, you did exactly what any of us would do. Leaving him out there would have been too dangerous. I’m proud of you.” Rick extended a hand and patted Carl on the back. “Besides, Brett doesn’t seem half bad. We’re just going to keep an eye on him; he at least deserves a chance.” Rick then got up and carried a sleeping Judith inside.  
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After a few days it seemed as if Brett had successfully assimilated and earned his place in the group. After Daryl would get back from a hunt he would volunteer to help skin and prepare the animals for cooking; he even offered to do some hunting of his own. He helped with watch duty, and when a stray walker did stumble upon the farm, he was the first out there to kill it with his knife, which Beth had given back to him. Daryl had even asked him to go out on a run with him and a few others in the next few days.

But there was something about Brett that unnerved Carl. At first he thought he was making things up, seeing things that weren’t there, overreacting. He thought that maybe he was just a little on edge after everything that had happened at the prison. And everyone else seemed to like Brett, so why didn’t he?

It started with an innocent bump into her, a little nudge that knocked her off balance, and his hand reaching out to catch her. Nobody else paid any attention to it, and he didn’t at first either. Then it was his eyeing her from across the room, her oblivious to the older man’s stare that lingered on her far too long. There were other things, too, things that made him wonder about the man’s intentions, but he brushed them off as coincidences; nobody had noticed any of this stuff, so he figured he was looking too far into things. But his suspicions were confirmed when he overheard a conversation between the two. 

He was walking from the truck parked out in the yard back to the house when he noticed them. Beth was out stretching her legs, just walking around, being sure to stay close to the house. She was the only other person outside, and then he came out of nowhere and approached her. At first the conversation seemed honest enough, but it quickly changed.

“Hey! What are you out here doing?”

“Just stretching my legs a little. They were starting to get cramped.”

“Oh. Baby duty again?”

“Yeah, but I don’t mind. I like kids, and it seems to be the only way for me to help out around here.”

“You’re good with her, aren’t you? She likes you.”

“I guess.” She shrugged, not wanting to admit that she knew she was good with kids.

He walked with her a little while longer, his hands in his pockets, before saying anything more. Carl had stopped what he was doing, positioning himself where they couldn’t see him but he could still see and hear them.

“So, how old are you?”

“17, almost 18.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

Carl could tell that the question instantly made Beth uncomfortable. It had come out of thin air, and it was being asked by a man she barely knew.

“Um, no,” she blushed as she answered him.

“Have you ever had one?”

Beth stopped walking. “Yeah.”

“How many have you had?”

“What does it matter to you?” Her voice was defensive.

Brett took a step toward her, his posture straightening, making him appear taller, more threatening. Beth looked to the ground, avoiding eye contact with him, slowly inching back, trying not to make it as noticeable.

“I asked you a question.”

He started reaching out his hand, and it looked as if he was going to grab her. Carl came out from where he was listening, casually jogging towards them.

“Hey, Beth, I need your help for a second.” It was a lie, but he didn’t want them to know that he had been watching them and had heard everything they had said.

As soon as Brett noticed Carl he backed away from Beth, lowering his hand and returning his posture to a more humble, less menacing position. Beth immediately started walking towards Carl.

“Hey, Carl! Is there something I could help with?” He waved his hand in a friendly greeting.

“No, I’m fine.” When Beth finally reached him, he headed off in the direction of the truck. “I just need some help unloading the truck. Daryl just got back from a run.” He looked over to Beth, who remained silent. She didn’t say a word to him about what had happened. Carl instantly regretted bringing Brett back to their camp; he wished that he had left him there in the woods to fend for himself.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch.9

He had been fumbling with the thought in his mind all day long. He didn’t know whether he should tell someone about what he had seen earlier that day, or if he should just keep it to himself. 

“Dad, I need to talk to you.”

“Is something wrong, Carl?”

“No, well, yes.”

“What is it?”

“It’s Brett.”

“What about him?”

“I don’t think he’s that good of a guy.”

Rick looked at his son, confused. “Why do you say that?”

“The way he acts around Beth, it makes her uncomfortable.”

“Did she tell you that?”

“No. But I can tell. He’s always looking at her, always ‘accidentally’ bumping into her. I thought I was making it up until today. He scared her, Dad. He scared her.”

Rick suddenly looked concerned. “What do you mean he scared her?”

“I overheard a conversation they were having. Beth was outside all alone and he came up and started talking to her. He started asking her really personal questions, and when she didn’t want to answer he changed. I don’t know how to describe it, but he became threatening. It scared her; I could see it in her eyes.”

“I’ll talk to Beth, see what she has to say.”  
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Beth was inside rocking a sleeping Judith. Rick stood at the doorway for a few seconds, just watching as the girl laid the child in her makeshift crib. Beth turned around and jumped when she saw Rick watching.

“Did I scare you? Sorry, I should have let you know I was here.”

“It’s fine, you just took me by surprise.”

“You’re good with her.”

“Thanks.” Beth smiled.

“Beth, can I talk to you real quick?”

“Sure.”

“It’s about Brett.” Beth stiffened at his name, and Rick took notice.

“What about him?” She asked as she straightened up Judith’s things.

“What do you think of him?”

“I think he’s a decent guy, if that’s what you mean.”

“Does he make you uncomfortable?” He was very blunt with it, more blunt than he had intended to be. 

Beth stopped what she was doing, not sure how to answer.

“If he does, you can tell me.” He studied the girl as she stood before him, he could tell she was trying to figure out what to say. “He does, doesn’t he?”

“It’s probably nothing, I’m sure I’m just overreacting. He didn’t mean any harm.”

“What did he do?” Beth once again ignored him. “Beth, what did he do?”

“He just talked to me. It was nothing, really.”

Rick caught her wrist gently. “You can tell me Beth.”

“He was just asking me questions. Like I said, it was nothing. He’s fine, honestly.”

Rick let go of her wrist, and Beth left the room.  
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Rick had been waiting to get Brett alone. He wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but he knew that he had to say something. While Beth hadn’t admitted that Brett had done anything, Rick could tell by the way she reacted to his questions about Brett that something had happened.

Brett was outside, taking his turn on watch duty. Rick went out to join him. It was a little foggy this morning, and they could barely make out the where the woods began, making it even harder to see any approaching walkers. When Brett noticed Rick he looked up at him and smiled.

“Good morning.”

Rick nodded. “Have you seen anything?”

“No, not yet. Let’s hope it stays that way. I think we should stay close to the house until the fog clears, it’s too hard to see out there.”

“Probably a good idea. “ Rick paused a few seconds, “I’m not saying that you did anything, but I think it’d be best that you keep your distance from Beth.”

“What?” Brett sounded confused. 

“I’ve heard things from people; they say you’re making her uncomfortable.”

“Is this about that talk I had with her the other day?” He waited for Rick to answer, but he didn’t. “”It was all just innocent small talk. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I’m just saying.”

“Look, Beth’s a nice girl, pretty, too, but I would never intentionally hurt her or make her uncomfortable.”

“Just keep your distance these next couple of days,” and before Brett had any time to respond Rick went back into the house.


	10. Chapter 10

Ch.10

Brett did exactly what Rick said; he stayed away from Beth. If Beth entered a room, he would find an excuse to leave. If someone mentioned Beth, he would quickly change the conversation. He knew that what he had done was wrong, he had never meant to scare her, but he had always had a habit of coming off more menacing than he actually was. And Brett didn’t want to risk getting kicked out of the group, so he told himself that he would stay away from Beth at all costs.

He began taking more shifts on watch. While he liked being around people, he also liked to have a little alone time, time to think. He also began to go out hunting with Daryl. Since the beginning of the apocalypse he had become a pretty decent hunter, not as good as Daryl, but an extra hand hunting and gathering food was always needed. 

He was waiting by the truck for Daryl. They were planning on going hunting that day, someplace a little farther away. They hadn’t been having much luck in the woods around the farm, so they decided to try their luck somewhere else. When Daryl finally came out of the house, Brett got in to the passenger seat and Daryl jumped in the driver’s seat. They drove a few minutes without talking.

Daryl kept glancing over at Brett. He could tell that something was wrong, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it. “You alright?”

“What? Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.” Brett’s face was pale and beads of sweat were gathering on his face.

“It’s nothing, just car sick.” He lied, he had never gotten car sick before in his life.

“Don’t throw up in my truck.”

“I won’t.”

The truck finally came to a stop after about 45 minutes of driving. They both got out, Daryl grabbing his crossbow and game bag, and Brett grabbing the supplies they would need to set up a few snares. Hopefully they would be able to catch something today.

They walked through the woods, and at first it didn’t look like there was any life to be found, but as they ventured deeper they began to hear the scurrying of squirrels. Daryl managed to shoot one with his crossbow, and Brett decided that this was a good place to set up a few snares.

As they continued their silent walk in the woods they realized that there was more than just animal life in the woods. Off in the distance, about 300 yards away, Daryl spotted two walkers. Deciding it’d be best to kill them before they had a chance to catch their smell or find any squirrels that had become entangled in their snares, Daryl lifted his crossbow, pointing it at one of the walker’s head, and let the arrow go flying. He then quickly took out the second walker.

Daryl began walking to the decaying corpses to pull the arrows out. But as he got closer he realized that the two walkers he had taken down were accompanied by another half dozen. Brett hurried in to action and began taking the walkers down with his knife as Daryl silently shot them with his crossbow. When they were all down, Daryl looked over to Brett, who was leaning against a tree, gasping for breath.

“Dude, you good?”

“Yeah, just out of shape,” he said between breaths, sweat pouring down his face.

“I’m just going to head up here a ways, see if I see anymore. You stay here, take a break.”

Brett didn’t say anything, just waved Daryl on. When he finally caught his breath he ventured off to find Daryl. To his surprise he found Daryl pulling his arrow out of a deer. It wasn’t very large, but the meat was needed.

“We should get this back now, before it spoils.” 

They both reached down and began dragging the deer back to the truck. Daryl could tell that Brett was struggling, but he didn’t say anything. They threw the deer into the bed of the truck, went back and collect the two squirrels that got caught in their snares, and began heading back to the farm.

Everyone was surprised to see the deer. It had been months since any of them had had venison; they had mainly been eating squirrel and rabbit. Daryl began dragging the deer from the bed of the truck, and Brett went over to help him. As soon as he lifted the deer his arm gave way and he winced in pain. Daryl looked at him.

“What’s wrong? Did you get bit?”

“No, it’s my arm, it’s been hurting the last few days.”

Daryl went over to him and pushed up his sleeve. The area around the wound on Brett’s arm was red and inflamed, obvious signs of infection. “How long has it been like this?”

“A few days, I don’t know.” 

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“I didn’t want to become a burden.”

Daryl looked over to the house and was relieved when he saw Bob walking outside. “Hey, Bob. Come look at his arm. I think it’s infected.”

Bob leisurely walked over and looked at Brett’s arm. His face went from relaxed to concerned, and both Daryl and Brett knew it wasn’t good. “He has a blood infection.”

“What do we do ‘bout it?”

“He needs antibiotics, plenty of them, and fluids. He should get inside, he needs to rest.”

Brett did as he was told; he went inside and quickly fell asleep. He was exhausted. Bob came in and checked on him every once in a while, and he gave them the few antibiotics they had left. But despite all of their attempts, Brett’s condition was getting worse. His temperature continued to rise, and his heart rate wouldn’t slow down. He eventually died in his sleep. Daryl stabbed him in the head before he could turn.


	11. Chapter 11

Ch.11

Beth watched from her bedroom window as Daryl, Rick, and Tyreese carried Brett’s body, wrapped in a bloodied sheet, outside. She watched as they began to dig another grave just feet from the tree she used to swing from, adding another scar to the place that had once been so beautiful. She was so lost in thought that she barely noticed Maggie enter the room.

“We’re about to burry him. Are you going to come?”

Beth didn’t respond, she just stood there, not saying anything, not even bothering to look at her sister. Maggie could sense that something was wrong; she could feel the tension in the air.

“Are you alright? Are you mad?”

“Why does he get a burial?”

“What?” Maggie was taken aback by the tone of Beth’s voice. “We don’t just leave our people out to rot.”

“Really? Our people? We barely even know him. Daddy didn’t get a burial. We don’t even have a body to bury. For all we know he’s one of them.” Beth was yelling, and her last words came out with a hiss. “Except he doesn’t have a body, so he’s just laying there slowly starving.”

“Beth!” Maggie was shocked. She had never seen her sister act like this, and the words she said stung. 

“You know it’s the truth.”

She was right. Maggie knew that Hershel never got the privilege of being put down before he had the chance to come back, and she highly doubted The Governor would grant her daddy that mercy. She had thought this many times, and so had the rest of the group, but those were just thoughts, nobody had ever had the guts to actually say it aloud, except Beth.

“Are you coming or not?”

“Not.”

“If you change your mind, you know where we’ll be.” Maggie took a long look at Beth, not sure what to make of her sudden change of disposition. She then left the room and joined the rest of the group outside.

Beth continued to look out the window. She watched as her sister walked across the yard to stand at Glenn’s side. She watched as Brett’s body was lowered into his final resting place. She watched as each member of the group threw a handful of dirt into the grave, slowly burying the man who had been alive only yesterday. And she watched as another little wooden cross was stuck into the ground, marking another causality in this treacherous world; and she knew that this wouldn’t be the last cross that would be placed under that tree, she knew that she would have to watch as the people she loved died, watch as a cross was put up in their honor. And suddenly that emptiness inside of her, the feeling she had fought off so long ago, returned.

She turned away from the window, resting her back against the wall, and slowly drifted down to the floor as her legs became weak. Tears were brimming at her eyes, and her fingers went to the jagged scar on her left wrist. It had been months since the last time her fingers traced the raised scar blemishing her skin, and she had hoped that it would feel foreign to her, but as her finger caressed the scar, the familiarity of the pain she had felt was present.

She closed her eyes, hoping to push the agony away, praying that the wound that had suddenly reopened would close. But her hopes and prayers did nothing, because when she closed her eyes she saw her father. She saw the image of the governor swinging the sword, and she saw her father’s lifeless body fall to the ground, his blood staining the grass. 

The tears she had been fighting back began to roll down her cheeks as she reached into her back pocket and grabbed the small item that was there. It was a small pocketknife, its blade still as sharp as a razor from never being used. It was meant as a last resort if walkers ever attacked her, a means of fighting back, of survival. But right now the pocketknife offered her a way out, a way to end the pain she was suffering, and a guarantee that she would never see another wooden cross put up for someone she loved.

She flipped open the blade and ran her finger along it. She watched as the sun glistened off of it, every once in a while catching a brief glimmer of herself on the metal blade. She then closed her eyes and put the blade to her wrist, the old scar providing a path for the new cut. She began to press down, the blade just breaking her skin. But something stopped her. She took a deep breath and pressed down a little harder, but it was like her arm was frozen, no matter how much she wanted to she couldn’t bring herself to move the blade along the length of her wrist.

All of a sudden she could hear the words echoing through her mind. “We all got jobs to do. We don’t get to be upset.” Her father had said those same words to her a countless number of times, and prior to the prison being lost, she had begun believing them and living by them. But after her fathers death those words had become jumbled up in the mess she was caught in, and their meaning was lost. But for some reason she couldn’t get them out of her head right now. It was like they were on repeat, replaying over and over in her mind. 

She opened her eyes and the knife fell from her hand. As much as she wanted to escape this world, she knew she couldn’t. She knew that Maggie still needed her, that she couldn’t put her sister through another death. She knew that she had to be there to take care of Judith when Rick and the other’s were too busy caring for the rest of the group. She knew that she had a job to do, and even though it felt like the world was collapsing around her, she knew that she couldn’t crumble with it.

Her body was suddenly fueled with anger. Anger that she couldn’t die, that she couldn’t just give up. Anger that her father was taken from her. Anger that the world that had once seemed so simple was now too complicated to even begin to understand. Her hand reached for the knife, the blade still open, and she slammed it into the floor beside her before her body was rattled with sobs.

When she had finally calmed down she dug the knife from the floorboard and put it back in her pocket. She stood up and went to the bathroom attached to her room. She opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed a band aid. Even though she hadn’t cut too deep, her wrist was still bleeding a little, and she didn’t want anyone to know what she had almost done. She then left her room and headed downstairs, trying her best to forget what had just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this chapter and am very happy with how it turned out. I think this is my favorite chapter so far! I would love to hear your feedback.


	12. Chapter 12

Ch.12

After they buried him they all stood there for a few moments in silence, nobody wanting to seem disrespectful by being the first to leave. It was Daryl who had the guts to walk away, which didn’t really surprise Maggie; after that everyone else soon followed his lead. 

“Where’s Beth?” Glenn asked curiously.

“She’s in her room. She’s in a mood, today’s not her best.”

“What do you mean?”

“We got into a little fight when I went up to get her.”

“About what?” He sounded incredulous. Maggie and Beth rarely ever fought; in fact, the last time they had fought had been when Beth was considering suicide.

“I think she’s mad that my dad never got to be buried.”

“She has a point, you know, we should do something in his honor. It would probably help us all heal.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, like a mock funeral. I’ll talk to Rick about it, see what he thinks.”

“Thanks,” Maggie said with a small smile, watching as Glenn walked away to find Rick.

Maggie decided to go back in the house to check on Beth, to see if she was alright. She was shocked when she saw Beth downstairs in the kitchen preparing food; she was probably starving since it was well into the afternoon and she hadn’t had anything to eat. 

“Hey,” Maggie said hesitantly, testing the waters to see if Beth was still mad.

“Hey,” it was flat, but Beth’s single-word response wasn’t laced with anger, and that made Maggie happy.

Maggie noticed that Beth was struggling with getting the can of mixed fruit open and it was causing Beth to get frustrated. She walked over and took the can from Beth’s hand. She saw as Beth turned her right wrist away from Maggie’s view, but Maggie still caught the brief glimpse of a band aid and her heart sank with fear.

“What’s that?” She asked gesturing to Beth’s wrist, trying to sound calm.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” She looked to her sister, realizing that Maggie wanted more and wouldn’t drop it until she gave a better explanation. “I scraped it on something up in my room; it’s fine.”

She wanted to question more, she wanted to grab her sister’s wrist and tear the band aid away to see if her suspicions were real. But she knew doing that would only spark another fight, so she decided to change the subject. “I think we’re going to have a funeral for daddy.”

“What? How?”

“I talked to Glenn about it, he thought that we all needed a little closure. He was going to talk to Rick about it.” Maggie wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw the briefest sign of a smile on Beth’s face, and it made her happy.  
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….........................................

They were all gathered outside, standing in the shadow cast from the big tree with the frayed rope, standing among the dozen or so tiny white crosses sticking up from the ground, standing adjacent to the recently dug grave. Beth was skeptical at first, thinking this whole idea was stupid, but she couldn’t help herself. She wanted closure so desperately that she would do anything, even if that meant attending a mock funeral for her father. Maggie had come to stand by her side, her hand tightly grasping Beth’s. Everyone else was standing in a circle surrounding the cross that had just been put there in Hershel’s honor. She was trying to fight back the tears, but they eventually started to fall when Rick began to speak.

“Hershel-Hershel was a good man. In the chaos of this world he kept to his beliefs; he did what was right. It seems that somehow we all forgot to mourn him; I don’t know if that’s because we were all in shock or if we just didn’t want to face the truth. But we owe it to him.

“I remember the first time I saw him. He was a white haired old man walking down the steps of that front porch there,” Rick motioned to the porch with a smile on his face, “He looked concerned, maybe even a little scared, but when his eyes settled on Carl all of the fear was washed away. I didn’t know then how important he would become to all of us. He was there for me when Lori died, he kept me together; he kept us grounded. 

“I wish that things could have been different. If I would’ve known then what I know now, I would’ve just given The Governor the prison; maybe things could be different. But I didn’t know that then, and that’s why we’re here right now.” Rick looked up from the ground and to Beth and Maggie. “While he may not be with us anymore, Hershel left an impact on each and everyone of us; he left a little piece of himself behind in his daughter’s. Every time I look at you I see him. Every time you speak I hear his voice. I’m sorry this happened to him.” Rick lowered his head to look at the cross before him. “You were a good man Hershel; we’re all going to miss you.”

Everyone stood there in complete silence, silent tears rolling down their faces. Beth was suddenly aware of the multitude of eyes looking at her. She wasn’t sure if they were looking to see her reaction or if they were waiting for her to speak, but she had a suspicion it was the latter. She opened her mouth to say something but she couldn’t find the words to say. Nothing she said would make this alright. Instead, and without thinking, she started singing. She didn’t know what she was doing until it was too late, and she couldn’t decide if she regretted doing this or not.

“The Garden of Eden has vanished, they say   
But I know the lie of it still;   
Just turn to the left at the bridge of Finea   
And stop when halfway to Cootehill.   
'Tis there I will find it,   
I know sure enough   
When fortune has come to me call,   
Oh the grass it is green around Ballyjamesduff   
And the blue sky is over it all.   
And tones that are tender and tones that are gruff   
Are whispering over the sea,   
Come back, Paddy Reilly to Ballyjamesduff   
Come home, Paddy Reilly, to me.” 

Her voice was shaky and barely audible at first, but she knew everyone heard her because they were all looking at her. Their faces were solemn and she could just see the tracks of their tears. She thought about stopping, but Maggie must have been able to sense her apprehension and gave her hand a light squeeze, encouraging her to continue. As she sang tears continued to stream down her face.

“My mother once told me that when I was born   
The day that I first saw the light,   
I looked down the street on that very first morn   
And gave a great crow of delight.   
Now most newborn babies appear in a huff,   
And start with a sorrowful squall,   
But I knew I was born in Ballyjamesduff   
And that's why I smiled on them all.   
The baby's a man, now he's toil-worn and tough   
Still, whispers come over the sea,   
Come back, Paddy Reilly to Ballyjamesduff   
Come home, Paddy Reilly, to me. 

The night that we danced by the light of the moon,   
Wid Phil to the fore wid his flute,   
When Phil threw his lip over Come Again Soon,   
He's dance the foot out o' yer boot!   
The day that I took long Magee by the scruff   
For slanderin' Rosie Kilrain,   
Then, marchin' him straight out of Ballyjamesduff,   
Assisted him into a drain.   
Oh, sweet are the dreams, as the dudeen I puff,   
Of whisperings over the sea,   
Come back, Paddy Reilly to Ballyjamesduff   
Come home, Paddy Reilly, to me. 

I've loved the young women of every land,   
That always came easy to me;   
Just barrin' the belles of the Black-a-moor brand   
And the chocolate shapes of Feegee.   
But that sort of love is a moonshiny stuff,   
And never will addle me brain,   
For the bells will be ringin' in Ballyjamesduff   
For me and me Rosie Kilrain!   
And through all their glamour, their gas and their guff   
A whisper comes over the sea,   
Come back, Paddy Reilly to Ballyjamesduff   
Come home, Paddy Reilly, to me.”

When she finished everyone remained silent. She could still feel everyone’s gaze trained on her, but when she brought herself to look at them their eyes were hollow, worn from the emotional toll the day had brought. She wanted desperately to run inside to her room and be by herself, but she couldn’t bring herself to move, she was frozen in place by their stares. Out of the silence she heard someone finally speak.

“That was beautiful.” The voice was quiet, but Beth pinpointed it to Glenn, who was standing just beside Maggie.

“Why that song?” Daryl voice was low, and he sounded confused.

“It’s what he wanted me to sing when we first got to the prison.” Daryl nodded, knowing exactly what she was talking about.


	13. Chapter 13

Ch.13

Nobody felt like going back into the house after the service, so Daryl built a fire and everyone gathered around it. The sun had set long ago, the glow from the fire their only source of light. Beth was sitting next to Maggie, who was pushed tightly against Glenn. Nobody was talking, the sounds of crickets chirping and the crackle of the fire filling the air.

Then, out of the near silence came a voice. “What do you miss most?”

Everyone looked around to see who it came from, but Beth couldn’t locate the source until they spoke again.

“I miss having air conditioning.” Tyreese raised his hand to his brow, wiping away sweat.

“I miss having a freezer; an ice cold beer now and then would be nice.” Daryl laughed a little when he said it.

“I just wish we still had indoor plumbing…it would be nice to be able to flush again.”

Slowly but surely everyone began piping in. Most said not having to live in constant fear, the family and friends they had lost, Internet, electricity. Beth still hadn’t said anything, and people seemed to take notice. 

Maggie turned to look at her, giving her a slight nudge on the shoulder. “What do you miss?”

Beth hesitated at first, thinking it over. “I miss painting my nails.” 

She knew it was stupid, and she could already see the strange looks she was getting even though she hadn’t looked up. Sure, she missed everything else everyone had said, but she also kind of missed having nice nails and not having to look down at her hands and constantly be reminded of the world she lived in. It would be nice to look and see a pretty color, not dirt and mud in every little crevice.

Maggie put her hand on Beth’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. After that everyone fell back into silence, some getting up to go to sleep. Beth stayed there a little longer until her eyes grew heavy and Maggie suggested she go upstairs and get some sleep.

When she got up the next morning she heard noise coming from downstairs. She didn’t know what it was; it was more noise than usual for that early in the morning. She apprehensively made her way down the stairs, not knowing what to expect. She was surprised when she saw Daryl, Bob, Tyreese, Sasha, and Michonne all sitting at the table. They were going over something, but she couldn’t tell what. She must have inched closer because Michonne looked up at her.

“Going on a run today.”

“Where?”

“Daryl said there’s a spot a few miles from here.”

“Saw it when I went out hunting a few days ago. Didn’t look like it had been overrun.”

Beth just nodded, not really having all that much interest in the topic. They never let her go on runs, so the whole thing really didn’t pertain to her. She began to turn away when Sasha spoke up.

“Are you hungry? I made some oatmeal.”

Now that it was mentioned, Beth became aware of the emptiness in her stomach, a quiet growl arising. She didn’t really eat yesterday, just a few bites of fruit that had been sitting in a can for far too long. When she looked back to Sasha she had already pulled a chair out and had set a bowl down. Beth walked over to it and began eating.

They continued talking about the run, and Beth was surprised when she found herself paying close attention. She learned that they were going to a little town, smaller than hers, which she had been to a few times. They had a grocery store that was so small most people probably wouldn’t have known it was there, which meant it could still have much needed supplies. Before she knew it Beth was offering her opinion on the best way to the town and the best way to get in to the store.

“Don’t go on the main roads. It doesn’t it show it on the map, but if you turn right about here,” her hand pointed to a spot on the map “just after Still River Road, there is a back way; you just follow that for a few miles and it takes you right into the town. You’re less likely to run into abandoned cars and stuff.” 

She jerked her hand away when she realized what she was doing. She was certain that nobody wanted her two-cents, and she was slightly embarrassed that she had even offered it. Who would listen to the girl who knows nothing about going on runs? She was pleasantly surprised when Michonne looked at her and grinned.

“Have any other advice for us?”

She wasn’t quick to speak, but after she was sure that Michonne had actually meant what she said, she continued. “The road will let you out by the library, you turn left and the grocery store is less than a minute down the road.”

She finished eating her oatmeal as they finished with their plans. Then she helped them load up the truck and car they were going to be taking.

“Thanks for the advice.” She was walking next to Daryl, everyone else had retreated back inside to gather the last things. “Would of never known that road was there if it weren’t for you.”

Beth didn’t respond, just gave her head a little nod. That’s when she noticed Daryl staring at something. At first she didn’t know what it was, but then she followed his line of vision. He was staring at her wrist, the band aid still covering the little cut. She went to pull it away, to try to hide it from Daryl even though he had already seen it, but he caught it in his hand.

“Stop, it’s nothing.” She tried to yank her wrist free, but he wasn’t letting her go. 

He started to pick at the band aid, ripping it off once he had a grip on it, turning the skin where it had been red. His eyes told her he knew, but she was still compelled to lie.

“It’s nothing, I just scraped it.”

“Damn it Beth, why’d you do this.”

“It’s just a scrape,” she said hurriedly.

“That ain’t no scrape. Does Maggie know?” He asked, releasing her wrist.

Beth was quiet now, keeping her voice low. “No.” 

Before she had time to say anything else Daryl walked away. She just stood there, half expecting Maggie to come barreling towards her shouting. But that didn’t happen. Instead Daryl and the others came out of the house, Daryl looking at her as he walked by. They got in the truck and car and drove off.


	14. Chapter 14

Ch.14 

Daryl was surprised when they found the road Beth had told them about. She was right, there was nothing blocking the road, unlike the main roads where pile-ups made it impossible to pass through. Everyone was talking about what they needed to get on the run; going over the list to make sure they wouldn’t forget anything. Normally Daryl would join the conversation, but today he remained quiet, he couldn’t get Beth’s wrist out of his mind. He thought she was over doing that, but he was wrong, because there was no mistaking the evidence on her wrist. He didn’t know what to do about her.

He pushed his thoughts to the side when the street gave way to the town they had been talking about for the last few days. It was tinier than Daryl thought, and just like Beth had said, the grocery store was less than a minutes drive once they got on the main road. It didn’t really even look like a grocery store, at least not one he had ever been to. It was brick, fitting in with the style of the buildings adjacent to it. He parked the truck, getting out as Tyreese parked the car behind them.

Before going in, Daryl tapped his elbow against the glass at the front of the store. They all waited until they heard the noises they were all too familiar with; he was relieved to find that the place wasn’t packed full of walkers, only three came to the front, which they easily took down.

Upon entering the store he was pleasantly surprised to see that almost all of the shelves were still stocked full. This run was going to be a success, and he was already thinking about planning another trip here in a few days to stock up on what they didn’t have room to bring back with them.

They each had their own things they were responsible for getting, and Daryl was supposed to get the canned goods. He had a big bag, which he took off of his shoulder, ready to fill it full. He carefully put all of the cans he could fit in the bag. They were going to be eating well with the variety of canned food. They had been so used to eating beans and mixed fruit, but this grocery still had canned vegetables, which they hadn’t been able to find since leaving the prison.

He was almost ready to head back to the truck when Beth flickered through his mind again. And without knowing it he was headed in the opposite direction of the door. He knew what he was looking for; it was just a matter of finding the aisle. He finally found the beauty products, and was a little embarrassed to find himself venturing down it, hoping nobody would notice. His eyes fluttered to the left, and he caught a glimpse of what he was looking for. 

Standing before all of the colors he didn’t know what to grab. She had said she missed nail polish, but she never mentioned what color. He thought about grabbing her favorite color, but then realized he had no idea what that was. He stared at the bottles blankly, trying to think of what a teenage girl would pick. His hand reached for one that was light pink; he looked at the name of the color, eyes wide. Tutti Frutti Tonga. What in the world is a Tutti Frutti Tonga? He heard feet approaching and quickly hid the bottle in his back pocket and exited the aisle.

“You ready?” Sasha asked, not even giving a questioning glance at the aisle he had just come from.

“Yeah. You get everything?”

“We got more than enough. We should be set for a while.”

They walked to the truck and started the drive back. Daryl could feel the bottle in his pocket; maybe putting it in his back pocket wasn’t such a good idea. The drive home was relatively quiet compared to the drive there. Everyone was tired and decided to relax; making the occasional comment on how well the run had went. By the time they made it to the driveway of the Greene family farm, they had fallen into complete silence.

As soon as he brought the truck to a complete stop he got out, scanning the yard for any sign of Beth. When he didn’t see her he grabbed his bag and crossbow and went in the house, setting the bag on the table. Rick tried to talk to him, but Daryl brushed him off, heading up the stairs. If Beth wasn’t outside and wasn’t downstairs, she would be in her room.

He silently crept up the stairs, tiptoeing until he reached her room. The door was cracked, just wide enough for Daryl to catch a glimpse of Beth sitting cross-legged on her bed, a pen in hand writing in her journal. He slowly opened the door, and watched as she jumped and shut the journal when it creaked.

“Hey.”

“Oh, hey,” she said, turning her attention away from him.

“I want to talk.”

“I don’t mean to be disrespectful Daryl, but I’m not really feeling up to it,” she said as her hand wrapped around her wrist.

He crept further into the room. “You don’t got a choice.” He looked at her before pulling the chair in her room next to her bed. “You want to tell me what happened there?” He asked, pointing to her wrist.

“No.” She avoided looking at him, keeping her eyes on her closed journal.

“Look, Beth, I’m not accusing you of anything and I’m not gonna’ judge you. But if you are starting this up again somebody needs to know.”

“I’m not.” She was quick to answer, but it was barely a whisper. “It was an accident.”

“I know that’s not true. You can tell me.”

She met his eyes for the first time, but waited before she spoke, almost like she was trying to see if he was lying. “I did it yesterday, when you guys were burying Brett. I got into a fight with Maggie.” She looked to him, and he nodded for her to go on. “I was thinking of everyone we’ve lost; Patricia, Otis, Lori…my daddy, and I knew that we would lose more, and I didn’t want to go through it again. And then when I closed my eyes I saw The Governor with Michonne’s sword swinging it at my daddy’s neck. I felt like I did back then. I felt like the world was caving in and I was going with it. And then I got out my little pocketknife and put it to my wrist. I tried to do it Daryl, I tried to cut myself again, but I couldn’t do it all the way; I stopped myself. I realized that I have to be strong for everyone, that I can’t put Maggie through another loss. I’m not going to do it again.”

Daryl sat there looking at her, taking in everything she had just said, knowing she was telling the truth. He then reached into his back pocket and grabbed the bottle, handing it to her.

“Here, I got this for you.” He saw her eyes look down to the bottle, the excitement starting to spark in them. “I didn’t know what color to get; I just grabbed one that looked like you.”

“Thank you,” she said as she took the nail polish from him. “Tutti Frutti Tonga? It’s pretty. Thanks, Daryl.”

Daryl got up and started walking to the door. Before he was out of the doorway he heard her small voice, barely audible.

“Are you going to tell Maggie?”

He looked at her again; her eyes were boring into him. “No.” Before she could say anything else he left.


	15. Chapter 15

Ch.15

Tutti Frutti Tonga? Beth stared at the color. It was pretty, and surprisingly it was something she would have picked out for herself. Sitting on her bed painting her nails brought back memories of her and her friends. She remembered for her twelfth birthday how she had invited her closest friends over for a sleepover. They had stayed up all night watching movies, talking about boys, and painting their nails. Now she wondered what had happened to them. 

She hadn’t heard from anyone since the outbreak, and while she hated to admit it, she figured that most of them hadn’t survived. In a morbid way she thought it was probably best that they were dead, better that they wouldn’t have to see what the world had become, that they wouldn’t have to see their family die. She quickly brushed the thought away when she heard footsteps outside her door.

“Beth?”

She turned to see who it was. Maggie was peeking her head through the door, a funny expression on her face when she saw what Beth was doing.

“Where’d you get that?"

“Daryl.”

“Daryl?” Maggie was surprised, her eyebrows rising questioningly. “Daryl got you nail polish?”

“I know, right.” Beth let out a little laugh.

“It’s pretty. Maybe I’ll have you paint mine later tonight?”

Beth knew Maggie didn’t really care if her fingernails were painted or not. Maggie had never been the type to paint her nails. But Beth shook her head, a little bit of excitement rising in her at the thought of doing something normal.

“If you’re not busy, can you watch Judith while I make dinner? Rick is doing something with Daryl, and Judith is getting fussy; she’s in one of those moods that only you seem to be able to calm.”

Without answering, Beth got up and headed downstairs. Maggie was right, Judith was being fussy. Carl was sitting with Judith, trying to calm her crying, but nothing seemed to be working. When he saw Beth approach he immediately handed the baby off to her, relief flooding his face.

“I don’t know what’s gotten in to her. Nothing seems to be making her happy.”

Beth started to bounce the baby on her hip. When her crying didn’t quiet she began to sing. 

“Your little hand's wrapped around my finger  
And it's so quiet in the world tonight  
Your little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming  
So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light  
To you everything's funny, you got nothing to regret  
I'd give all I have, honey  
If you could stay like that  
Oh darling, don't you ever grow up  
Don't you ever grow up, just stay this little  
Oh darling, don't you ever grow up  
Don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple  
I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart  
And no one will desert you  
Just try to never grow up, never grow up”

Judith’s crying slowly subsided and her eyes began to grow heavy. Beth continued rocking her in her arms until she was asleep. Beth placed her in her crib and then went to join Maggie in the kitchen.

“I don’t know how you do it.”

“Do what?”

“Get her to calm down so easily. You’re the only one who can do that.”

Beth shrugged, starting to get a little embarrassed. “She likes when you sing to her, so I sing.”

Maggie was cleaning a handful of berries in the sink. They had been able to get the water working, which was a huge relief since they hadn’t had running water since the prison. Tyreese and Daryl had tried to get the generators working again, but after working on them for three days straight decided they were useless.

“Do you need me to do anything?”

“Actually, I was just about to go outside to start cooking whatever Daryl brought back. Can you finish cleaning these?”

“Yeah.”

Beth moved and took Maggie’s spot in front of the sink. When her stomach began to growl she began popping the berries into her mouth, being sure not to take too many. When she was finished she went back and checked on Judith, who was sound asleep. Carl was sitting on the couch, looking like he wasn’t sure what to do.

“Hey Carl, will you keep an eye on Judith? I’m going to go and help Maggie outside. I’ll be fast.”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.”

Beth headed outside. Maggie and Sasha had a small fire going, just large enough to cook the food. It looked like they would be having a combination of squirrel and rabbit tonight. When they noticed Beth they both offered a smile before returning to cooking the food.

“Carl’s watching Judith right now, so I can help.”

“Will you just help us keep an eye on these, make sure they don’t burn?”

“Sure.”

The food was almost done cooking when Beth noticed Daryl grabbing his crossbow, his attention turned to the woods. Rick followed behind him, his hand resting on the gun in its holster. Beth figured it was just a walker so she went back to placing the now cooked food on a plate. She didn’t look up again until she noticed both Sasha and Maggie leave her side.

The door to the house slammed shut as Glenn rushed out. It was only now that Beth noticed the figures becoming visible in the woods, making their way closer to the farm. Beth abandoned the food and made her way over to where everyone else was standing.

Nine men appeared from the woods. At first Beth thought they were walkers, but quickly corrected herself when she noticed that nobody was rushing to kill them. These men were just as alive as she was, but their appearance was much rougher.

“Who are you?” She heard Daryl yell, his crossbow pointed at one of the men.

“Woah, settle down there boy. We’re just people like you,” one of the men said, his hands in the air.

“Why are you here?” Rick asked, his voice much more relaxed than Daryl’s, but still showing the signs of stress.

“No reason in particular. Ran in to some trouble a while back. One of the men from our group left us a few weeks ago, started heading this way, so we figured we’d loop back around and see what was here.”

“Nothing here for you, so why don’t you be on your way.” Daryl was still pointing the crossbow at the man.

“We’ll be on our way soon enough. But seeing as you have weapons and food, would you really be that cruel to send us off without anything?” The man motioned to the weapon in Daryl’s hand and the plate of food Beth had deserted.

“We can give you food, but we’re keeping our weapons,” Rick responded, looking around at the people standing behind him, his eyes falling on Beth. She guessed by the expression on his face he had only just noticed her presence. Turning back to the men, Rick began speaking again. “We don’t have many weapons, we need them for protection.” 

“Now that’s not very nice is it?” Beth could tell the man was getting riled up, that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “We need protection, too. Just hand them over and we’ll be on our way.” 

Beth could tell by the tense posture of everyone standing around her that this wasn’t going how they would have liked. While Daryl was the only one with his weapon drawn, everyone else had their hands resting on their own, ready to pull it out if needed.


	16. Chapter 16

Ch.16

“Beth, go back inside,” Rick’s voice was calm but authoritative.

Beth didn’t hesitate. As soon as the words had come out of Rick’s mouth she had begun to slowly back away, inching closer to the house. But she was suddenly stopped when one of the men standing before them spoke.

“No, Beth, stay.” It was the man standing most towards the middle of the group of men. His eyes were staring directly at Beth.

Beth wasn’t sure what to do. Every inch of her wanted to listen to Rick, she desperately wanted the safety of the house, but her subconscious made her stop and just stay there, it made her listen to the man, afraid of what disobeying him would do.

The man continued to stare at Beth, noticing her hesitation. He looked away from her to the rest of his group, then back to Rick and the others, before returning his gaze to Beth. He tilted his head downwards, a cruel, crooked smile forming on his face, and his eyes returning to Beth. “You know what Beth, why don’t you just come and stand by me?” His voice had a playful tone of evil in it.

Beth once again didn’t move. She knew that listening to this order, that obeying this command given by the stranger would be irrational. She also knew that Rick and the others wouldn’t let her go stand by the man even if she wanted to. That’s when the man turned his head to his right, and gave a slight nod in Beth’s direction to a very muscular and strong looking man.

The man began stepping forward, not even faltering when Rick grabbed the gun from his belt and pointed it towards the man. This man knew that Rick wouldn’t do anything, because where he had only one gun pointed at him, Rick and his group had at least seven guns pointed at them. The man continued to approach Beth, and Beth began stepping away. But despite her slow descent backwards, the man finally reached her. He grabbed her from behind, and Beth felt a slight pain in her right side. She tried fighting back, but the fight was useless, Beth had no chance escaping the strong grasp of the man.

She was finally released when they had reached the man, who was obviously the leader of this group. The man grabbed Beth’s arm and twisted it behind her back, making it impossible for her to break free, and pulling her closer to him.

“Alright then, let’s try talking again.”

“We don’t want any trouble.” Rick’s voice was calm, unwavering.

“And neither do we. Just give us your weapons and we’ll leave.”

“You know we can’t do that.”

“But that’s the thing, you can.” Beth could feel the man’s warm breath against her skin.

Rick’s gun was pointed at the man now holding Beth. Glenn, Maggie, and Sasha only had knives, which they now held at their sides. Rick wasn’t even contemplating giving the man their weapons, and the man could see that.

With a slow movement of the hand, the man brought a gun to Beth’s temple. “What did you say your name was again?”

“Rick.”

“Okay, Rick, my name’s Christian. Just put down your gun.”

Still, Rick didn’t listen. He knew that the man was just trying to frighten him, make him think that he would really kill Beth. He had seen this before, back when he was still a cop. The criminal would hold someone ransom, threatening to kill them, but as long as they still had a gun held on them he wouldn’t do anything.

“You don’t think I’ll really hurt her, do you?” The man began to lower the gun. “Fine, we’ll just have to change this up a little bit.” He then raised the gun again, and slammed it against Beth’s right side in one swift movement.

Beth let out a scream of pain and tears began filling her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. Maggie took a fast step forward, ready to attack the man who was causing her sister pain, but she was stopped by Rick, who extended his arm to block her from moving any further.

“Okay, okay.” Rick raised his hands slowly. “There’s no need for you to hurt her. I’m just going to set this down slowly.” Rick gently lowered his arms and put the gun on the ground before him. He looked back and motioned for the rest of them to do the same with their weapons.

“You see Rick, that’s just not going to cut it anymore. You made me angry, tried to play with me; I don’t do well with that. How old are you Beth? 17? 18?” Christian moved his lips to where they were just touching the side of Beth’s face; she could feel every warm breath, could feel the dryness of his lips against her soft skin. “You see, we’re a group of men, we have needs. Sure, we come across women here and there, but it’s rare that we come across someone as young as Beth here; someone as pretty as her, someone so pure.” Christian had reached his hand up Beth’s loose-fitting shirt, and his hand was lightly resting against her stomach.

“No!” Rick’s voice was strong and steady. Where there may have been some leeway for negotiating before, there was no room for it now.

“What? Surely she isn’t that beneficial to your group; let us take her off your hands.”

“No!”

“We’ll take good care of her.”

“I don’t want you to take ‘good care of her.’”

“Come on, you must know what it’s like to have needs, Rick. And by the looks of it, you are in no position to negotiate.” Christian’s voice changed, it grew deeper, stronger, fiercer, and was laced with more evil than before. “We’re taking the girl with us.”

The man started to back away, showing that he was done talking to Rick. Beth’s heart was racing, thinking that Rick was really letting these men take her away with them, but then she saw something in Rick change. Something was happening, something she didn’t know about. She could see it in all of their faces.

BANG!

Suddenly the world grew dark and silent. Beth was vaguely aware of the loosening grip on her arm, but she couldn’t make sense of it. Everything around her was a blur; everyone was moving in slow motion. She could barely make out Rick lunging forward, grabbing something on the ground and then raising it. She heard another banging noise, but it sounded like it was coming from miles away.

And then everything caught up to speed. She could see and hear everything clearly. The blurs of motion that had been moving around her had slowed. And Glenn was standing right in front of her, gripping her arms, trying to say something to her.  
“Beth, Beth. Can you hear me? Beth, you’re alright.”

Beth stood there frozen, unable to move or speak. She was still trying to make sense of what had just happened. Why wasn’t the group of men firing back? Why weren’t they dragging her away? She looked around her and saw bodies lying motionless on the ground, blood pooling on the ground beneath their heads. They were dead. The group of men was dead.


	17. Chapter 17

Ch.17

“Glen, is she alright? What’s wrong with her?” She could tell that it was Maggie speaking, her voice was panicked and taut, and Beth desperately wanted to respond, but the words she was trying to say just wouldn’t form.

“I don’t know. I think she’s in shock.” Glenn was lightly shaking Beth, waving his hand in front of her face, trying to get a response from her. “Beth, Beth, can you hear me?”

Beth vaguely heard someone say “Get her to the house,” but she couldn’t make out who it was, or if it had been a male or female’s voice. The next thing Beth knew, Glen had picked her up and carried her to the house. As soon as they got inside Bob was right at their side. 

“What happened to her? Is she injured?”

“That bastard was going to take her. Tried using her to threaten us. He hit her with the gun. I think it’s her ribs.”

“I’m going to need to see.” Bob looked to Maggie, who then shook her head in allowance. He reached down to lift Beth’s shirt so he could see her injuries, but Beth quickly backed away; still not fully aware of what was happening.

“Beth, it’s me, it’s Bob. I’m not going to hurt you. I just need to make sure you aren’t hurt.” He looked her directly in the eyes, but Beth didn’t respond.

When his hand went to her shirt again, she didn’t flinch. He gently lifted her shirt up, just enough to reveal the area of skin that was already badly bruised.

“I’m going to need to feel, to see if anything’s broke.” He placed his hand on the bruised area, and as soon as he put the slightest amount of pressure on it, Beth yipped in pain and again backed away. “Will somebody come and hold her, maybe try to distract her?”

Both Daryl and Maggie stepped forward. Maggie leaned down in front of Beth, and Daryl stood just close enough to Beth that if she tried to back away again she wouldn’t be able to.

“Beth, you just have to let him do this really quick. It will be fast, I promise,” Maggie said softly.

Bob once again went to assess her injuries. And when Beth jumped back in pain, she was caught by Daryl, who held her steady, letting her squeeze his hand as tightly as she needed. Beth’s head was in such a fog, trying to sort through what had just happened, that she barely heard any of the conversation that followed.

“I can’t be certain, but I don’t think they managed to break any of her ribs. I think they’re just badly bruised. She’s going to need to take it easy for a few weeks, let them heal. She’s gong to be in pain, we may want to think about finding some pain meds for her, I don’t think there are any in the house.” 

“I’ll go on a run tomorrow,” Daryl volunteered. “With any luck there’s still something in that pharmacy back in town.”  
……………………………………………………………………………….

“Hey guys, can you give Beth and I a little time alone?” Maggie asked, glancing from one face to the other.

Everyone in the room immediately left, leaving Beth and Maggie alone. Maggie turned her attention back to Beth, who was still standing in the same spot she had been in since Glenn brought her into the house. Little speckles of blood dotted her face and clothes, and even from across the room Maggie could see Beth’s pulse on her neck and hear her heavy breathing.

“Beth, sweetheart, why don’t you sit down?”

Beth continued to stare blankly at the ground, Maggie’s words having gone unheard by Beth’s ears. Maggie approached Beth and lightly put her hand on her sister’s shoulder.

“Beth, how ‘bout you sit down for a minute.” 

She took Beth by the hand and dragged her over to the nearest chair, applying pressure on her shoulders until she sat. Maggie then went over to the sink and wet a washcloth. She knelt down in front of Beth and started to wipe the dots of blood from her face.

“Maggie?” Beth’s eyes finally looked up from the ground, big and blue and brimming with tears. “Maggie, what just happened?”

Maggie paused what she was doing. “It’s ok, you’re safe now. That guy can’t hurt you.”

“Who-who shot him? I didn’t see anyone shoot him?”

“It was Tyreese. He was out in the woods, heard all of the commotion. Snuck up behind him and took him out.”

“And the rest of them?”

“They’re all dead, too.”

Maggie continued cleaning Beth’s face until it was free of blood. She placed the dirtied cloth on the table and went to the bathroom, searching through the medicine cabinet until she found what she was looking for. 

“Here, take these,” she said, as she shook two pills from the bottle in her hands. “It will help with the pain a little until we can get you something stronger.”

Beth took the pills from Maggie’s hand and swallowed them.

“You should get some sleep. You’ve been through a lot.”

Beth nodded her head in agreement, realizing just how tired she was. Maggie helped Beth to her room, and stayed until she was certain Beth was sleeping.


	18. Chapter 18

Ch.18

Bob hadn’t been lying when he said she would be in pain. Every time she moved a sharp pain shot up her side; it even hurt to breath. The pills Maggie had given her had done little in the way of easing any of the pain. And when Daryl arrived the next day with stronger pain meds, she was relieved.

Maggie had pretty much confined her to bed rest, but the longer Beth just lay there doing nothing, the more restless she became. She had to get up; she had to move; she had to do something. 

Almost everyone was outside cleaning up the remaining bodies on the ground. When the bodies were gone the only evidence left that anything had happened there was the bloodstained grass.

“I thought I told you to stay in bed.” 

Beth turned around a little too fast and she clutched her side. Maggie was standing there with a concerned look on her face.

“You alright?”

“Yeah. It just hurts a little.” That was an understatement. “And, I can’t just sit there anymore, I have to do something. I’m getting restless.”

“Well, don’t do anything too strenuous. Bob says you need to take it easy.”

“I won’t, I promise.”

Maggie flashed Beth a smile before leaving the room and heading outside. Beth stood there not sure what to do. She wouldn’t be of any help with the bodies as she could barely move without hurting. She started walking, she knew who she was looking for, but she didn’t know where he would be. Walking outside she found him standing alone smoking a cigarette.

“Hey,” she said.

Daryl turned around, and noticing that it was Beth, smiled and put out his cigarette. “Hey. How you doin’?”

“I’m fine. I just wanted to thank you, for the pills and all.”

“Does it hurt?”

“A little.”

Daryl started walking away. She hadn’t gone looking for him just to thank him for the pain pills; she had something else on her mind. She had to ask a favor of him, and she wasn’t really sure what his response would be.

“Daryl, wait.” He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her again. Beth was suddenly nervous. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Depends on what it is.” 

“Can you teach me to fight?”

He was quick to respond. “No.”

He turned around and started walking away again. Beth ran to catch up to him, and ignoring her pain, reached out and grabbed his arm.

“Please, Daryl. I don’t want to be defenseless. What if something like that happens again, but there’s no one else around to help me? I want to be able to help myself, I need to be able to protect myself.” 

Beth could tell that Daryl was contemplating her words. From the looks of it, it didn’t look like her convincing was doing too much for him.

“I know you guys think I’m just a kid, but I’m not anymore, I haven’t been for a long time. You can’t just keep sheltering me from everything; if you do, I’ll never be able to survive on my own.”

Daryl sighed. “Fine. But I’m gonna’ talk to the rest of the group first. If they’re fine with it, then I’ll teach you, if they’re not, then you’re out of luck, kid.”  
…………………………………………………………...............................................................................................................

Daryl was still surprised with Beth’s request. In a way he was hoping the group would object to the idea; the thought of teaching a teenage girl to fight wasn’t exactly his idea of fun. But Beth was right, she needed to know how to defend herself, and they had been depriving her of that.

Everyone from the council was gathered in the living room. Daryl had told them all that he had something they needed to talk about, but he hadn’t offered anymore details; he didn’t want anyone saying no before he even had time to explain.

“We need to talk about somethin’.”

“What is it?” Carol asked.

“Beth. She wants me to teach her how to fight.”

And with that one sentence everyone began giving their input on the situation.

“Not a chance in hell.” 

Daryl wasn’t surprised when Maggie was the first to speak up. He knew that she would be the hardest to convince. She didn’t like the idea of her sister having to grow up so fast, and Daryl couldn’t blame her for that. If Beth were his little sister he would probably just lock her up in her room and never let her come out.

Rick was the next to speak. “There’s no need for her to know how to fight.” Like Maggie, he tried his best to keep the kids kids.

“She’s just a kid,” Carol said.

“That’s the thing, she isn’t a kid no more, she’s an adult. We keep treatin’ her like a kid, and she doesn’t want that anymore.”

“Daryl, you’re not teaching Beth how to fight, she doesn’t need to know how to” Maggie said.

“Really? Was I the only one who saw what happened the other day? She needs to be able to defend herself. We aren’t always going to be here to protect her. What if something happened and she got separated? What if we run into another group? You want her to be defenseless?”

“That’s not going to happen.” Rick was staring at him.

“You don’t know that. Besides, Carl knows how to protect himself. He’s, what, four or five years younger than Beth? We don’t go ‘round treatin’ him like a kid. We’ve been sheltering her for too long just because she’s sweet, innocent, little Beth. She needs to get out there, she needs to get experience. She wants to learn, she asked me. I told her I would, but only if we all agreed, and only with Maggie’s permission. I’m not saying we need to send her out into a heard of walkers and see how she does. I just think we owe it to her to teach her the basics.”

There was silence. Everyone was still shocked with topic of this meeting. Daryl knew that everything he said was true. For some reason they allowed Carl to go out there and see what this world really is. But when it came to Beth it was like they all tried their hardest to keep her away from everything, to shield her from the horrors of the world they lived in. 

“Maggie, he’s right. Beth should know how to defend herself. We never know when something might happen, and do you really want her out there with just a knife and a gun and no other way to protect herself?”

Daryl was surprised that it was Michonne who spoke. He had expected her to be on his side, sure, she was always sensible when it came to things like this, but she wasn’t the type to speak up. But whatever she said must have gotten through to Maggie.

“Fine, you can teach her. But, take it easy on her. I don’t care what you say, she’s still a kid.”


	19. Chapter 19

Ch.19

When Daryl found Beth she was sitting on her bed. She was looking at something, but he couldn’t tell what it was. It looked like a book. She was staring intently at the pages, occasionally flipping them. He watched her from the doorway for a few minutes before entering. As soon as she noticed his presence, she slammed the book shut and tucked it under her pillow. Daryl looked at her questioningly, but didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure, but it looked like she had been crying.

“They said I can teach you.”

The smallest of smiles rose on Beth’s lips. “Really?” She was excited.

“Um hm.”

“When do we start?” 

“When you’re all healed up.”

Beth started to stand up. “I’m fine now, we should start now. No point in putting it off.”

“Nah, we ain’t doin’ nothing for another few weeks. Bob said it would take awhile for your ribs to heal, said you’d be in pain. We’re not going to hurt you anymore than you already are.”

“But-“

Daryl cut her off. “No buts about it, we’ll start when I say we start.”

Daryl liked her enthusiasm about learning, but there was no way Daryl was going to start teaching Beth how to fight when she had just been injured a few days ago. Maggie would kill him. Plus, she was bound to get hurt when he was teaching her.

Daryl stood there in an awkward silence for a few minutes, not really sure what to say. Beth had sat back down on her bed, seemingly defeated. Her hand was resting underneath her pillow on whatever it was he had seen her looking at earlier. Soon enough Daryl’s curiosity got the best of him.

“What yah got there?”

Beth looked up at him, confused. “What?”

“Under your pillow. I saw you looking at it earlier. What is it?”

“It’s nothing,” Beth said as she retracted her hand from the object.

“It didn’t seem like nothing.” Daryl raised an eyebrow.

Beth reluctantly pulled the book out and set it on her lap. “It’s just a scrapbook. I made it for my mom for her birthday…before everything started.” Beth took a shaky breath and then whispered, “I never got a chance to give it to her.”

Daryl walked over to her side and looked down at the book. The cover had a picture of all of the Greene’s. Hershel was standing in the middle, his arm wrapped around a woman’s waist, pulling her closer. Daryl assumed that was Beth’s mom. Maggie was to Hershel’s left, her arm slung around Beth’s shoulders, and a young man was standing next to the woman. That must be Shawn, Beth’s brother. Beth didn’t look much different in the picture than she had when he first met her.

Daryl pulled the chair in the corner next to the bed, and Beth began flipping through the book. The first page was of her and her mother. There was a picture of Beth when she was just a baby with barely any hair on her head. Another picture was of her mom and Beth when she was about seven in a field of wildflowers. Loose ringlets of Beth’s blonde hair were blowing in the wind while the woman tucked a flower behind Beth’s ear.

As Beth flipped the pages he found himself becoming absorbed. Beth would occasionally break his thoughts with the story that belonged to a particular picture.

“This one here,” Beth pointed to a picture of her on a bike and Hershel holding on to it from behind, “that’s when I learned to ride a bike. I thought I was doing so well until I looked back and saw daddy holding on and keeping me from falling. He was too scared to let go.”

She pointed to another picture, one of her and Maggie. Beth was wearing a fancy dress and her hair was all done up. “That’s from my first high school dance. My mom and Maggie made such a big deal out of it. And then when my date finally came, Shawn had a nice long talk with him.” She let out a sad laugh.

When Daryl looked up he saw that Beth’s eyes were watery and it looked like she was going to start crying any minute, but she never did. Instead, she continued to flip through the book until they came to the end. Daryl wasn’t sure how long they had been up there in her room, but he knew that it had been awhile.

Daryl cleared his throat. “Well, I should probably go downstairs. People are probably wondering where I am.”

He started heading to the door but stopped when Beth spoke.

“Daryl? Thank you, for everything.”

Daryl just gave a small nod and looked at her before leaving.  
………………………….........................................................................................................................................................

Daryl didn’t see much of Beth the next few days. He was purposely trying to avoid her, because anytime they were in a room together she would try to get him to start teaching her to fight. He had never realized how persistent Beth could be when she wanted something.

When Daryl got back from hunting that day Beth was sitting on the porch, waiting for him. As soon as he made it up the steps she was standing, already nagging him.

“I think we should start today.”

“Nope.”

“Why?”

“Not healed yet.”

“Daryl, I’m not in any pain, I’m perfectly fine.”

“Is that so?” Daryl raised his eyebrows. “Then why are you still poppin’ those pain pills?”

She didn’t say anything, just stood there looking at him, and Daryl thought he had won. He was about to turn and walk into the house when she started speaking again.

“I’m starting to think you aren’t going to teach me.”

“That’s not true. I’m going to teach you when you’re ready.”

“You know, if I ever have to fight in real life, I might be hurt, and I would still have to fight through it.”

Daryl let out a rugged breath. He couldn’t argue that point, she was right. If she ever had to fight there was a chance she could get hut or that she would already be hurt, but she would still need to fight. Still, he didn’t want to risk hurting her anymore than she already was if they could avoid it.

“I said not today.”

“Come on. We don’t have to do anything strenuous. I should start learning as soon as possible.”

Daryl was starting to get fed up. “Fine.”

Daryl grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her to the yard. He wasn’t really sure what to do. Sure, he had taught others how to fight, but never a teenage girl who had no fighting experience and was in pain. He would need to start easy.

“Punch me.”

“What?”

“I said punch me.”

Daryl stood there waiting, watching as Beth contemplated his words. Eventually he saw her ball her fist up and swing it wildly at him. He easily blocked it and pulled her tight to him, wrapping his arm around her neck. She struggled to get free, but he wasn’t giving. 

Daryl felt Beth bring her free hand to her side. She was in pain, he could tell. He loosened his grasp on her and she immediately bent down in pain. Her breathing was labored.

“You ok?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine, it just hurts.”

“Told you you’re not ready.”

Beth just looked at him but didn’t say anything.


	20. Chapter 20

Ch.20

It had been two weeks since their first attempt at a fighting lesson. It had been two weeks, and she hadn’t bothered him again about starting lessons. He figured she had realized after the first time that her body wasn’t ready to do something so strenuous. But it had been two weeks, and that time had allowed her body to heal.

He knew that she had completely stopped taking the pain meds a few days ago. He had been keeping a close eye on her, waiting to see when she would be ready. He didn’t want her to be in any pain; it would just make the fighting lessons pointless. But now that she wasn’t on any meds, he figured the pain was gone, and he figured that now was as good a time as any to start training.

She was sitting on the floor, Judith across from her playing with blocks. Daryl stood and watched her for a few minutes, smiling to himself at the way Judith giggled when she knocked over the tower Beth had helped her build. Beth hadn’t noticed him watching, so he cleared his throat, and Beth immediately looked up.

“Hey,” she said, speaking with her usual singsong voice.

“Hey.”

Beth looked back to Judith, who was now holding a block in her hand. Daryl walked over to her and picked her up, the baby smiling as he did so.

“So I was thinkin’ we could start lessons today.” He looked to Beth and couldn’t help but smile when she grinned back at him.

“Really?”

“Yeah. You’re not poppin’ pills anymore, so I figured we better start.”

“Ok. I just need to find Carol and see if she can watch Judith for a while.”

“Already taken care of. I talked to her before finding you.”

As if on cue, Carol walked in, taking Judith from Daryl’s arms. Carol looked at Beth before looking back to Daryl.

“Take it easy on her.”

Daryl laughed. “I ain’t gonna’ be treatin’ her like no pampered princess.”

Carol scowled at him. “I know how you can get, Daryl.”

“She’s the one who wants to learn…she can deal with me.” Daryl didn’t give her any time to reply; instead he turned and started walking towards the door. “C’mon, Beth.” 

Beth hurried to catch up with him. They went out into the yard, a little distance from everyone else. Daryl didn’t want a crowd of people watching them. He stopped and turned to look at Beth. He wasn’t sure where to start. The last time he had been rough with her, trying to prove his point that she wasn’t ready. But this time, this time was serious training. 

Daryl held out his hand and pointed to it. “Punch me, right here.”

He wanted to see if she even knew how to punch at all. He needed to know if they had to start from the very basics, or if she at least had some groundwork to start with. It turned out they were going to be starting from the basics.

Her punch was wild, like she just randomly threw her arm in a given direction. When her fist hit his hand, which he had to move to make it connect, it barely even pushed him back. She immediately retracted her hand, shaking it from pain. They had a lot of work to do.

“That hurt?”

“A little.” She was still moving her fingers about.

“Make a fist again.”

He watched as she curled her hand into her version of a proper fist. He immediately snatched the hand and puller her closer to him, Beth letting out a little gasp.

“First things first, you need to know how to make a fist that ain’t gonna break your thumb.” He shook his head when he looked at her fist again. Her fingers were wrapped around her thumb. 

“Never put your thumb on the inside. If you do, there’s a good chance you’ll break it.” He said as he unwrapped her fist. He put his hand around it, curling her hand into a fist, and then moved her thumb to rest just between the first and second knuckles of her index and middle finger. “Always have it like this.”

She nodded her head, inspecting the hand that was still in Daryl’s grasp. He released it, and she let it fall to her side. Daryl then looked at how she was standing and let out a sigh. He moved close to her, their body’s just inches apart. Taking his right foot, he kicked her legs apart, and she jumped.

“Keep your feet shoulder-width apart. It will make it easier to aim.”

He was still standing close to her. When he looked down, Beth was looking right up at him, her big blue eyes staring at him intently. He backed away and looked her over once more.

“Try again,” he said as he lifted his hand. 

She raised her fist and then threw the punch. It wasn’t good and there wasn’t much strength behind it, but it was an improvement. He still had to move his hand so her fist would connect with it, but it wasn’t as far off. And most importantly, she didn’t move her hand back in pain. 

“Better. Now do it again.”

She kept punching over and over, each time getting a little better, but she was still a far way off from being able to punch someone and do any damage.

“How long are we going to do this for?”

“Until you can do it right.”

She sighed. He looked her over and noticed that she was panting. Beads of sweat were gathering on her face. He didn’t know how long they had been out here, but he figured it had been a few hours. They hadn’t taken a break, and he could tell that Beth was tired.

“You hungry?”

She nodded her head but didn’t say anything.

“Let’s take a break. Eat a little something. Maybe we can get back to it later today.”

They walked back to the house and Daryl started rustling around in the kitchen, getting them food. Beth was sitting at the table, looking at her fist. He slid a bottle of water to her and took the seat across from her. She was still looking at her fist, and he glanced at it.

The skin around her knuckles was raw and bloody. They would need to clean that. He knew that in time the skin would toughen, but for now there wasn’t much more they could do. 

Daryl opened a can of peaches and set it down between them, passing her a spoon. She took it and dipped it into the can, popping a peach into her mouth. Daryl looked at her and smiled before grabbing the can from her.

“You’re hoggin’ it.”

She laughed.

“It hurt?” He asked, gesturing to her hand.

“A little. It’s nothing I can’t handle.” 

Daryl popped a peach into his mouth and stood up. “Let’s get it cleaned.”

He found the first aid kit and set it down on the table. He pulled out the chair that was next to her and sat down. He opened one of the alcohol swabs and took her hand. She hissed and jerked her arm back a little when the swab touched her injured skin, but Daryl held it in place.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, keeping his eyes glued to the injury.

“It’s ok. Just stings a little.” 

“We’re gonna be done for the day.”

“What? Why?”

He looked up to meet her eyes. “Don’t want to make this worse. ‘Sides, you did good today.”

“You really think that?”

“Uh-huh. Still not good, but better then you were this morning.”

Beth nudged him on his shoulder and giggled.

“Eat,” he said as he got up and put the first aid kit away. “We’ll be at it again tomorrow. And I’m not goin’ easy.”


	21. Chapter 21

Ch.21

Beth wasn’t up when Daryl woke up the next morning. He waited a few minutes, and when she still didn’t stir, he went to her room. It was early, and only a few others were up, but they had a long day ahead of them, and he had told her that he wasn’t going easy on her anymore. 

He walked into her room and saw her curled up in a little ball, the blankets pulled up under her chin. She looked peaceful. He gently shook her. Her eyes fluttered open and she jumped when she saw him.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“Time to get up. We got training to do.”

Beth rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up, and yawned.

“Get dressed and meet me downstairs,” he said as he walked from her room to the kitchen.

When she came down the stairs he handed her a can of peaches. After she ate they headed out into the yard. He grabbed one of her hands and looked at it. Her knuckles were still red and they were now scabbing. 

“We’re not going to do a lot of punching today, just maybe a little review of yesterday.” 

Beth frowned. “Why?”

“Your knuckles.”

“Then what are we going to do?”

Daryl shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll play it by ear.” He lifted his hand up and pointed to it. “Punch it.”

Beth did as he said, and Daryl was pleased when she hit his hand dead in the center. He was even more surprised when the force of her punch actually moved his hand back a little; she remembered to put her weight behind it. He couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips.

He could tell that her hand hurt, and one look at it revealed bloody knuckles. They were definitely done with punches for the day. He walked over to her and pulled out his bandana.

“Here,” he said, reaching out and grasping her hand. He gently dabbed up the blood.

“Thanks,” she said, looking him in the eyes.

Daryl tucked his bandana back in his pocket, keeping his eyes on her. 

“Turn around.”

Beth looked at him confused. “Why?”

“Just turn around.”

Hesitantly, Beth slowly turned around. Daryl waited a moment before he walked up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her middle, trapping her arms inside. Beth jumped at their sudden closeness and a small gasp escaped her lips.

“What are you doing?”

“Try to get out of it.”

“What?”

“Try to get out of it. If someone wants to take you by surprise, they’ll probably grab you from behind. You need to know how to get out of it.”

Beth turned her head to look at him, her face searching his. She then turned her head back around. She began to struggle against him. She tried to move her arms, but Daryl had them tightly pinned to her side. She wriggled about, trying to get him to give, but all of her attempts were unsuccessful. Eventually she stopped moving, letting out a loud, defeated sigh.

“I can’t,” she said softly.

“Yes you can.”

“I don’t know how.”

Daryl loosened his grip on her and she turned around. “How do you get out of it?”

“Grab me from behind, and try to not let me go.”

He saw the blush rise on her cheeks, but she listened. Her arms were small around him, and her grip was weak. He brought his hands to her arms and grabbed them, he then bent his knees, dropping his weight and forcing her to bend at her hips. He lifted his foot and applied a little pressure to her right foot. He then took the leg he had used to stomp and moved, turning his body slightly. He brought his foot and lifted it behind him, just high enough to reach her shin, and he lightly pushed it back, forcing her back and causing her to release her grip.

Daryl turned around to see her. She was still blushing. He walked behind her and grabbed her again, pulling her tight against his chest.

“Now do what I just did. Grab my arms and then bend your knees.”

Beth grabbed his arms and bent her knees. He tried to ignore the way her body pushed against his groin. She looked back at him, waiting for him to give her his approval. He nodded his head.

“Good. Now, act like you are going to stomp your foot on mine.”

Beth did as he said.

“Pivot outward.” Beth pivoted. “Good. And then bring your foot up behind you to kick me.”

Her foot came up behind her and she rested it on his shin.

“A little pointer. If this ever happens, don’t be afraid to move your foot a little higher…kick them where it really hurts.” He choked back a giggle when her face reddened even more than it already was. “Do you think you got the steps?”

She nodded her head. “Yeah, I think.”

“Ok, then do it again, but this time actually do it.”

“But I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You’re not gonna’ hurt me.”

Daryl tightened his grip again. Beth waited a minute before grabbing his arms and bending her knees. She brought her foot and lightly stomped his foot. When she went to pivot she lost her balance, Daryl’s hold on her being the only thing that held her up.

“You ok?”

“Yeah.”

“Start over.”

She started over, and Daryl knew that she was holding back. She was holding back when she stepped on his foot, and her kick to the shin barely caused him to move at all. After doing it a few times he got frustrated.

“Beth, you don’t gotta’ be afraid of hurtin’ me.”

She looked back at him.

“I can take it, really.”

She sighed and they started over. This time she put more strength behind her stomps and kicks. But she still couldn’t get herself free. She was still holding back, and Daryl knew it. It went this way for a few more minutes before Daryl got frustrated.

“You actually gonna’ try?” He asked, releasing her.

“I am,” she said in disbelief as she turned to face him.

“It sure don’t seem like it. Anyone want to take you, you’re gonna’ make it pretty damn easy, girl.”

She glared at him, not saying anything.

“If you don’t want to practice, just tell me.”

“I do want to. And I am trying.”

“No, you’re not. You’re still holding back. If you’re not going to take this seriously, then I have better things I can do.”

She remained staring at him.

“Now are you going to do it right?”

She shook her head yes. He went up behind her and restrained her yet again. She went through the steps, and Daryl could tell that he had made her angry. She wasn’t holding back anymore. Her movements were fast, smooth. She stomped his foot with force. But what surprised him most was when he felt a light pressure against his groin. She didn’t kick him, but she let him know that she could if she wanted to. He let her go, smiling.

“Good,” he said looking her over.

Her hair was falling out of its ponytail. She had beads of sweat starting to gather on her forehead. She was panting, trying to catch her breath.

“You did good, now lets go get some lunch.”  
…………………………..................................................................................................................................................................

Beth wasn’t going to lie. She had found the butterflies that formed in her stomach when Daryl grabbed her from behind hard to ignore. She remembered the way his arms felt wrapped around her, causing her skin to goose bump. She was trying to push these thoughts and feelings out of her mind as they sat down for lunch.

She wasn’t supposed to be feeling these things towards Daryl. He was so much older than her, and she knew that he would never feel this way towards her. She knew exactly what those feelings were, though. She had felt them before, with Jimmy and then again with Zack. The fluttery feeling low in your stomach, the way you shivered when their skin brushed yours. The feeling was familiar, and it scared her to death. So she tried to ignore them.

They were sitting on the porch steps. They were sharing a can of beans. She was hesitant to share, but they were running low on canned goods, and she wasn’t exactly starving. So when he asked her if she wanted to share, she said yes. 

They were talking and every once in a while one of them would giggle, most of the time that was Beth. But he was smiling, casting a sly glance in her direction every now and then. Everybody else was up and moving about, doing what ever needed to be done that day. Beth looked over at Daryl and could tell he was thinking about something.

“What?” He asked, feeling her staring.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothin’,” he said.

“Mhm,” she replied, smirking.

He looked at her and started to stand up. “I’m going hunting, wanna’ come?”

She looked at him for a minute, shocked. He rarely ever took anyone hunting with him. She blinked and then answered. 

“Yeah, I’ll go.”


	22. Chapter 22

Ch.22

They’d been walking for about an hour, neither of them talking as Daryl continued to hunt. He’d already managed to get three squirrels and a rabbit, but he liked the woods so he wanted to stay out a little while longer, and Beth didn’t mind, because she was starting to see what Daryl saw in the woods. The woods were quiet, some may even consider it eerily quiet, but it was calming. The only noises that could be heard was their own breathing and the occasional rustle of leaves.

Beth’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted when she saw Daryl waving his hand in front of her face. She immediately looked up at him. “What?” she asked, confused.

“You alright, girl?”

“Yeah, I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“The woods. I think I get why you like to be out here so much.”

“Is that right?”

Beth nodded her head. “Yeah. They’re quiet; it’s peaceful…gives you time to think.”

Daryl looked at her with a smirk on his face that told her she was right. He turned his head from left to right, looking around for any danger, before he turned and faced her again. He reached to his back and brought his crossbow forward.

“You wanna’ learn?”

“Really?” Beth asked, her voice laced with doubt. It was one thing for Daryl to take her hunting with him, but offering to teach her how to use his crossbow was a completely different level of surprise. Beth had never seen anybody touch his crossbow except Daryl himself, and she was half expecting him to be joking.

“Yeah, really. I figure if I’m teaching you to fight, you might as well learn to shoot, too.”

Beth hesitantly stepped forward, grinning, and reached for the crossbow. She wasn’t expecting it to be as heavy as it was, and as soon as she grabbed it from him, her arms dropped from the unexpected weight. Daryl let out a small laugh. Beth hefted the crossbow up into her arms, imitating the way Daryl always held it. She honestly didn’t know how he was able to hold it for extended periods of time; it explained why his arms were so toned and muscular.

Daryl pointed to a tree. “Aim at that and then pull the trigger. Imagine that it’s a walker.” 

Beth did as he said. She looked down the crossbow, aiming it straight at the tree. She pulled the trigger and heard the buzz as the arrow went flying. She expected to see it sticking out from the tree, but instead she watched as it soared by it, imbedding itself in the ground a few yards away from her target. She dropped her arms, being sure to keep hold of the crossbow, and sighed.

“I swear that I was aiming at it,” she said, looking from the arrow to the crossbow. “I think something’s wrong with it.”

Daryl looked at her. “Nah, the thing works just fine. Something’s wrong with your aim.” He walked over to her and reloaded the crossbow before taking a few steps back. “Pick it back up, but don’t shoot.”

Beth lifted the crossbow back into her arms. She could feel Daryl studying her. She could feel his eyes roaming over her posture, inspecting her stance. The butterflies began to flutter in her stomach, and she pushed the feeling aside, refusing to focus on it, and it was working; after a few seconds the butterflies were gone and her focus was on the tree in front of her and the crossbow in her hands.

Then, out of nowhere, she felt Daryl come behind her, his body flush against her back. His arms wrapped around her, his hands coming to rest on top of hers, helping her support the weight of the crossbow and steady her aim. She felt the tickle of his breath against her neck, and the butterflies exploded inside of her. There was no way she could push them aside. She knew that letting him be this close to her was a bad idea, but she couldn’t bring herself to pull away.  
…………………………………………………………………………........................................................................................................

He watched her hold the crossbow and held back a laugh as the arrow went flying past her intended target. Her aim was off, and he could tell she disappointed that she hadn’t hit the tree, attempting to blame it on the crossbow malfunctioning. He walked over, taking the crossbow from her and loading another arrow in it. 

“Pick it back up, but don’t shoot.”

Beth turned back to face the tree, lifting the crossbow back up. He looked at her. Her stance was good, but her arms weren’t strong enough to hold the crossbow for a long time, causing them to droop slightly. It was barely noticeable, but his eyes pinpointed the problem in an instant. 

Without thinking, he quickly made his way over to her, standing behind her. He brought his arms around to the crossbow, carefully placing his hands on hers, taking some of the weight from her arms and causing his front side to be pushed tightly against her back.

He was in hunting mode right now. His eyes looked down the crossbow, narrowing his sights on the tree. He moved her hands slightly so they were better positioned to shoot. He put a finger over the finger she had on the trigger and gently pushed down on it. The arrow flew from the crossbow, coming to a stop when it hit the tree.

She turned her head to look at him, a bright smile on her face. Time seemed to pause, and he wasn’t sure how long they stood like that. He was suddenly aware of the growing tightness in his pants, and he backed away from her as fast as his legs could carry him. He saw the way her smile faded, but chose to ignore it as he went and retrieved the arrow.

“C’mon, let’s go,” he said gruffly as he walked past her, refusing to look at her.

They began to make their way back to the farm, and the whole way back Daryl silently cursed himself. His body shouldn’t be reacting to Beth the way it had. She was just a kid, he kept telling himself. But a darker part of his mind reminded himself that she was 18, legally an adult. This part of his minds couldn’t get himself to stop focusing on the way her hair shined in the sun and the way her clothes clung to her soft curves. 

“Sick ol’ bastard,” he muttered to himself under his breath.

“What’d you say?” Beth piped up, drawing his attention back to the present.

“Nothin’.” 

Daryl threw his game bag on the porch when they finally made it back to the farm, after what seemed like an eternity of walking and an endless slideshow in his mind of images he’d rather forget. He took a seat on the bottom step and glared at Beth until she left. He couldn’t be by her right now. His mind wasn’t thinking straight, and all he could think about was what she looked like under her clothes. Yeah, he was a sick ol’ bastard.


	23. Chapter 23

Ch.23

Beth was confused. She didn’t understand why Daryl was suddenly giving her the cold shoulder. She didn’t think she’d done anything to upset him. She kept replaying their hunting trip in her mind, trying to think if she had done anything that would have angered him. Sure, she wasn’t the best shot with the crossbow, but it’s not like she broke it or anything, and he was the one that had offered to teach her. She just couldn’t figure out what was bothering him.

After he made it obvious that he didn’t want her near him, she walked into the house and up to her room. She lay down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. The sun was starting to set, and she was exhausted. Their fighting lesson had taken a lot out of her, and then the hunting trip had exerted the last of her energy. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

When she woke up it was daylight. She made her way down to the kitchen to grab something to eat. After yesterday she wasn’t sure if there would be a lesson today. She sat at the table, even after she had finished eating, and waited for Daryl. After what seemed like a small eternity, he finally appeared in the doorway, staring at her intently. 

“Ready?” He asked, still looking at her.

Beth stood up and made her way over to him. “Yeah.”

Beth led them out to the spot in the yard that they had claimed as their training spot. She waited for him to tell her what to do.

“Do you remember what we went over yesterday? How to get out of that hold?”

She nodded her head. “Yeah, I think.”

“Alright, then turn around.”

Beth did as he said, and Daryl came up behind her, tightly wrapping his arms around her and restraining her. Beth went over what they had done yesterday, trying to remember how he had told her to get out this hold. She was pretty sure she remembered everything.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” He asked gruffly, clearly getting annoyed.

“Nothing, sorry. I was just trying to remember everything you told me yesterday.”

And with that, she began to go over the moves he had taught her. She brought her hands to his arms and bent at her knees. She stomped on his foot, but it didn’t seem to have the same affect that it had the previous day; his grip didn’t loosen enough to allow her to pivot as much as she needed to. But she continued on, bringing her foot to his shin and kicking it. She had expected him to move back from her when she kicked him, but she still felt his chest pushed tightly against her back. She hadn’t gotten out of the hold.

“You’re being sloppy. Try it again.”

So she did. She went over the same moves and had the same results. She was still in Daryl’s arms, and she was getting frustrated. She couldn’t figure out what she was doing wrong.

“Again.”

Beth sighed, but listened. She knew that she was doing something wrong, but for some reason he was being too stubborn to tell her what it was. She was pleasantly surprised when she felt his grip loosen when she kicked his shin. His arms were still locked around her, but she managed to push through them and get away. She turned around with a grin on her face, but before she knew it, Daryl had reached out to her and snatched her upper arms, pulling her body flush against his chest, pinning her there. She struggled against him, trying to get away, but it was pointless.

“Never let your guard down,” he said lowly, still holding her against him.

Beth nodded and looked at him. She stared into his blue eyes and wondered what he was thinking. She felt the butterflies starting up in her stomach again, but she didn’t try to ignore them. She didn’t know how long they had stayed like that, just wordlessly staring at each other. Her body reacted before her mind even knew what she was doing, and before she knew it, she was on her tiptoes and her lips were pressed against his.

When her mind finally did catch up with her body, she considered pulling away, but it felt too good having his lips against hers, his arms still holding her against him. Suddenly she felt the slight pressure of him returning the kiss. It was innocent, but it quickly became something more. Heat and passion and frustration were being released in that kiss. A quiet whine escaped her lips when she felt his hands on her waist, but instead of him putting his hands there to draw her nearer, he gently pushed her back, breaking the kiss.

He looked at her again. She could see the confusion etched on his face, and she knew there was an internal struggle within him. She wanted nothing more than to be back in his arms, but her stomach dropped as she watched him turn and quickly walk away.  
………………………………………...........................................................................................................................................

It was the last thing he had expected to happen. He had pulled her back towards him, wanting to make the point that she should never just assume that once you are out of a hold you are safe. Then he felt her lips against his. It took him a moment before he figured out what was happening. She was kissing him. Beth Greene was kissing him. He knew it was wrong, but his body betrayed him as his lips mimicked hers, pressing back with equal force until the heat consumed him and he deepened the kiss. He felt the reaction his body was having to her and it broke the spell. His lips stilled and his hands went to her waist, pushing her away.

He stared at her, not knowing what to do. There was nothing he could say, so he walked away, leaving her standing there. He knew it would probably hurt her, but it was what was best for her. She didn’t know what she was doing. There was no way they could ever be together. She was just a teenager, she probably didn’t even know what she was feeling; it was just her hormones. She was probably going to regret kissing him once her body calmed down and her brain wasn’t fogged and she had time to realize her actions.

But god, her lips were so soft, and her kiss was so innocent. Her curves pressed into his body felt like nothing he had ever experienced before. Knowing she caused his body to react the way it did made him sick. He didn’t blame her, it wasn’t her fault, it was his own fault, and he knew it was wrong. He needed to clear his mind, so he grabbed his crossbow and walked into the woods.  
………………………......................................................................................................................................................................

Beth slowly made her way back to the house. She sat back down in the same seat she had in the morning. Her mind was racing. She didn’t know what had caused Daryl to run away from her. She kept trying to come up with a reason, but the only thing she could come up with was that she repulsed him. Maybe there was something wrong with her. She was so consumed in her thoughts that she didn’t even realize that Maggie had entered the room.

“Beth? Is everything alright?” She asked, worry laced in her voice.

Beth looked up at her. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She hadn’t realized it, but her eyes were brimming with tears.

Maggie sat down next Beth, still looking at her. “You don’t look alright.”

Beth wiped the tears from her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. “I’m fine, really.”

“Did something happen?”

“It’s nothing. I’ll be fine. I’m just overreacting.”

“You know that you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“Yeah, I know. But it’s really nothing,” she lied.

Maggie gave her a small smile. “Okay.”

Beth was thankful that her sister wasn’t going to push her on the subject. She really didn’t want to talk about what had just happened, because she wasn’t even really sure what had happened. She swore Daryl had kissed her back, but maybe her mind had been playing tricks on her and she just imagined that he had.


	24. Chapter 24

Ch.24

Daryl had come back from his hunting trip with nothing to show besides a set of bloody knuckles. He had been so mad at himself for kissing Beth that he took his anger out on a tree. Beth had been the first to notice his knuckles and was at his side in an instant, her hand grabbing his to inspect his injury. He quickly snatched his hand away from hers and shooed her away.

That had been two weeks ago, and things between them had grown increasingly awkward. They continued the fighting lessons, but Daryl was sure to keep a safe distance from her, trying not to get too close or touch her any more than was necessary. The days where they would sit down and eat their meals together and laugh and talk were gone. They avoided each other. They only spoke to one another when absolutely necessary. 

He had gone hunting a few more times since then, but was never able to bring anything back. Sure, he had seen plenty of squirrels and rabbits, but his mind wasn’t focused enough to actually kill anything. He was constantly thinking of Beth, of her lips, of that kiss. Hunting and just being out in the woods usually cleared his mind, got him thinking clearly again, but it wasn’t working. Nothing he did could bring his thoughts away from Beth and how messed up he was for lusting after a teenager. 

They were in the middle of training when he saw Rick walking towards them out of the corner of his eye. Beth was doing pushups, one of the many things he had come up with to keep from touching her; he had told her that she needed more upper body strength, and she seemed to accept his poor excuse. Rick looked at Beth as he approached, a smirk on his face.

“He’s got you working hard. He isn’t being too tough, is he?” He laughed.

“No, he’s not too tough. Actually, I don’t think he’s tough enough,” Beth said between pushups.

Daryl looked at her. “Stay focused,” was all he said.

Rick turned his attention back to Daryl. “I was wondering if you could go out hunting today? We’re starting to run low on food, we’ll need to make a run soon.”

Daryl nodded. “Yeah, I’ll go as soon as we’re done here.”

“Actually, I was thinking you could take Beth with you. You seemed to do better when she was with you. Maybe she’s your good luck charm, or she’s just getting too good,” Rick said jokingly.

Daryl silently growled. The last thing he wanted to do was bring the very person that he was trying to avoid with him. It was one thing to be around her when they were here at the farm, with the rest of the group here. It was a completely different thing to be around her out in the woods, just the two of them, with nobody there but themselves to keep them inline. 

“Yeah, sure, whatever. I’ll take her with me,” he said with an edge in his voice.

Rick didn’t seem to notice his discomfort, and just nodded. He looked at Beth one more time before walking off. Daryl looked at Beth, who was still doing pushups. Was Rick trying to kill him?

“Come on, let’s go.”

Beth immediately got up, wiping the sweat from her forehead, and followed him into the woods. Daryl knew that she was trying to keep her distance from him. She was walking behind him, staying a few feet away. Neither of them were talking, either. They were completely silent.

Daryl saw a squirrel, and despite Beth’s presence, was able to shoot it with his crossbow. He went to retrieve it and put it in his game bag. He looked up at Beth. The tension in the air was heavy, heavier than it had been a few moments before. He could tell that she was thinking, and by the looks of it, she would be saying something soon. Trying to avoid whatever conversation she was working up in her head, he started walking again, but it was a failed attempt, because a few minutes later Beth broke the silence.

“Is something wrong with me?” She asked quietly. 

“What? No. Why would you even think that?”

“Because you just walked away, and you’ve been avoiding me, and you won’t talk to me.”

Daryl stopped walking and sighed, running a hand through his hair, trying to figure out what to say. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”

“Then why did you stop kissing me? Do I disgust you or something?”

He heard the hurt in her voice and was quick to answer. “God no. I stopped kissing you because it isn’t right. You didn’t know what you were doing, Beth. You don’t want me. You were reacting with your body, not your brain.”

“I knew exactly what I was doing. And you don’t get to tell what I do and don’t want,” she said angrily.

Daryl sighed again, just staring at her. “Beth, you’re just a teenager, I’m too old for you.”

“So its an age thing? If I was older would you have stopped kissing me?” Daryl’s silence was her answer. He would have kept kissing her. And the way he was looking at her now told her it was taking everything in him not to kiss her right now.

“Age doesn’t matter anymore, Daryl. Even in the world before it would be legal. I’m an adult.”

“What would everyone else think? What would Maggie think?” Daryl paused before continuing. “What would your dad think?”

“So you’re going to try to make me feel guilty and talk me out of it by bringing up my dad?”

“Beth, that’s not what I’m trying to do. But do you really think he would be happy knowing his little girl is going around kissing a middle-aged man?”

“Well, I guess we’ll never know ‘cause he’s dead. And even if he was still alive I don’t think he would be mad. My dad was a lot older than my mom, so he couldn’t really judge us on our age difference. And you’re a good man, Daryl…there aren’t many of those left.”

“What about Maggie? What would she think?”

“Does it really matter what she’d think? She doesn’t control my life. Yeah, she’s my older sister, but she can’t tell me who I’m allowed to like.”

“What about everyone else? Do you really think they would be okay with this?”

“Daryl, their opinions don’t matter. It’s not their lives. It’s our lives. We can do whatever we want to do. Let them judge us; I don’t really care.” She paused and looked at him, and then she started nervously rambling, telling him everything she’d been holding back. “All I know is that I liked kissing you. And I’ve been having these feelings, and I don’t really know what they mean. And all I can think about is you…”

“Beth,” Daryl said, trying to break her rambling.

“And I know that you’re mad. And for all I know you absolutely hate me now. And I could have imagined that you kissed me back, and you may not ever want to kiss me again, but I-“

Daryl dropped his crossbow and game bag and rushed towards her and cut her off by fisting his hand in her hair and crashing his lips to hers. He was rough, all of his frustration and anger being released into this one kiss. She gasped a little, shocked and surprised, and he took the opportunity and moved his tongue into her month, deepening the kiss. He felt her hands slip under his shirt, running up down his chest in exploration. He took his free hand and slipped it under her loose fitting shirt, slowly easing his hand up to her breast. Her body tensed, but quickly relaxed as their kiss grew more heated and passionate.

Eventually Daryl pulled away, keeping his one hand in her hair and the other under her shirt. She was breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath. Her eyes were dark with lust, and her lips were pink and swollen.

“You weren’t imagining it; I did kiss you back. And I liked it. And I want to kiss you again, and again, and again,” he said as his lips went back to hers.


	25. Chapter 25

Ch.25

“You weren’t imagining it; I did kiss you back. And I liked it. And I want to kiss you again, and again, and again.”

Beth’s heart fluttered when she heard Daryl speak those words. She barely had any time to process what he had said before his lips were on hers, kissing her deeply. The kiss was rough, needy; he was claiming her as his own. He slowly began to back her up until she could feel the rough bark of a tree on her back. He ground his hips into her and Beth couldn’t help the moan that escaped her lips. And suddenly this wasn’t enough. She needed more; her body was craving more. With shaky hands fueled by adrenaline and lust, she began to pull at her shirt, pulling her mouth away and breaking the kiss.

“Too many clothes,” she said breathlessly, struggling to get her shirt off.

Daryl gave her a sly smirk, and his hands went to hers, stopping her movements, halting her progress. He gently eased her hands from her shirt, and replaced them with his. His hands began ghosting over her stomach, sending shivers up her spine. Her body was shuddering. He moved his hands further up, her eyes locked on his. Her nerves were on fire. She couldn’t take this anymore. He must have been able to tell that, because he was abruptly tugging her shirt up her body, over her head, and throwing it to the side.

Daryl didn’t resume kissing her; he just stared at her. His hand went to her chest, and Beth knew that he would feel the erratic beating of her heart. She stared back at him, her chest rising and falling as she took slow, but deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She placed her hand on top of Daryl’s and smiled before her hands went to his shirt and swiftly pulled it over his head. Her eyes grazed over his chest, admiring the muscles, which made her heart flutter even faster. 

At the same time they both reached for each other’s pants, wanting to shed even more clothing and reveal even more of their bodies. Their hands clashed against each other in an awkward moment, but Daryl yielded and let Beth’s hands reach their destination. She didn’t hesitate; her hands went to his zipper and unzipped his pants before she quickly pulled them down, Daryl lifting his feet to release them from his legs.

Daryl was much more graceful with it. His hands slowly found the button of her jeans, and his fingers timidly popped the button before easing down her zipper. He slowly slid her pants down her legs, his hands skimming along her skin, igniting a fire wherever they touched. He lifted her feet, taking off her boots and then completely removing her pants, discarding them near her shirt.

They didn’t hesitate; they didn’t take the time to look at each other. Their lips were on each other’s in an instant. Beth moaned into the kiss as Daryl pushed her against the tree, the bark scratching her skin, but Beth didn’t care. Her hands were on his back, her fingers digging into his skin, trying to draw him nearer. Daryl pulled away to catch his breath and Beth took the opportunity to allow her hands to move up and down his chest, feeling every muscle, memorizing everything about him.

Daryl’s lips went back to her, but this time they were on her neck, and Beth tilted her head back, giving him better access. He slowly moved his way to her collarbone. Beth pulled him so that his lips were on hers and kissed him again. She lightly brushed her tongue along his lip, and Daryl groaned softly. His hands were pressed flush against her stomach, but they were slowly making their way upwards until they were resting on her breasts, her bra the only thing separating her skin from his. She unintentionally sucked in a deep breath. This was new to her. Daryl looked at her, pulling back a little, asking for permission. Beth nodded her head slowly.

Daryl lightly grasped her shoulders and turned her around so that her back was facing him. He didn’t immediately go to the clasp of her bra, instead he took his time, running his hands up and down her back. His hands eventually found her bra, and he unclasped it, sliding the straps down her arms and letting it fall to the ground. She knew that she was blushing, she could feel the warmth on her cheeks, but she wanted this. 

Daryl’s hands went back to her breasts, cradling them in his hands. Beth shivered again. This was right. Everything felt right. She wasn’t embarrassed to be so vulnerable in front of Daryl. She needed this; she needed him. She backed up so that her back was touching his chest, and she felt the affect she was having on his body as Daryl planted a kiss on her shoulder. Beth turned in his arms so that she was facing him, and her lips met his in a ferocious kiss. Daryl slowly eased her to the ground, positioning his body over hers. 

“Have you done this before?” He asked softly, his eyes searching her face.

Beth shook her head. “No.”

“Are you sure you want to?”

Beth didn’t hesitate. “Yes,” she said quickly.

“If you want me to stop, or if I’m going to fast, just tell me. I’ll stop. I won’t be mad.”

Beth nodded again, and Daryl leaned up and took in her naked torso. His eyes lingered on her breasts, and Beth felt the heat return to her cheeks. He carefully rested his body over hers and leaned his head down to her ear.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, before he lightly nibbled her ear.

He left a trail of kisses from her ear, down her neck, and stopped at her breasts. He looked up at her before he took one of her nipples in his mouth, lightly teasing it. He moved over to the other and did the same before he continued the kisses down to her navel. His hand hooked a finger in her underwear, and Beth’s nerves suddenly returned. Daryl’s motions stilled and he looked at her again.

“If you don’t want to, we don’t have to.”

“No…no…I want to. It’s just…I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to mess up.”

He flashed her a trusting smile. “You can’t mess up, Beth. You’ll do fine,” he said as he eased her panties off, leaving her completely exposed and vulnerable.

Her mind was racing and Beth brought her knees together, but Daryl overlooked it, instead returning to cherish her mouth. As he continued kissing her, her mind quieted, and all she could think of was right here, right now, of Daryl propping himself over her, and the way his skin felt against hers. 

Beth felt as Daryl slowly slid a hand to her hip. She didn’t think anything of it until she felt that hand work its way over her thigh and then down between her legs, gently coaxing them open. Her lips paused on his.

“You okay?”

“Nervous. Just nervous,” she said, her voice husky.

Daryl nodded but continued his movement, cupping her in his hand. She was about to tell him to stop, that she was too nervous, but then she felt him run a finger between her lips, and her back arched, her head falling back as a moan escaped her throat. She barely heard his chuckle as his fingers continued to explore her. His fingers found the one spot that made her gasp, and he paid special attention there, before moving a finger to her opening and gently easing it in. He moved his mouth to hers to swallow her moans as he worked his finger in and out of her.

His movements were causing something to build in Beth that she had never felt before. She needed more of it, more of him. She groaned out in frustration as the intensity built but wasn’t relieved. He chuckled again, and his thumb found her nub, rubbing tight circles around it. Her hips were squirming, trying to build more friction to get what she needed. He curled the finger that was in her, sending her over the edge. Her back arched again and she screamed out in pleasure as Daryl continued moving his fingers. The world around her was fuzzy as she road out the waves of her pleasure. When it was over, she felt Daryl move his hand from her and place a kiss on her lips.

“We’re not done, are we?” She asked, afraid that it was over, that they weren’t going to go any further. 

“No, we’re not done,” he said as he reached over to his pants and pulled a tiny packet out of his pocket. “We need this,” he said, waving it in the air.

Daryl sat up and took off his underwear, which Beth had forgot were still on. Beth watched him in awe. She had never seen a completely naked man before, and Daryl was beautiful. After he put the condom on he positioned himself so that their bodies were aligned. He looked down at her, his expression serious.

“You’re sure you want this?”

“Yes, Daryl, I want you,” she murmured, begging him.

“You have to try to keep quiet.”

Beth vigorously nodded her head, just now remembering that they were in the middle of woods. Woods that were filled with walkers that hungered for their flesh. But she didn’t care about that right now. She would stay quiet if it meant that she got to be with Daryl completely, she knew that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

“Beth, I’m going to be as gentle as possible, okay?”

“Okay,” she said nervously.

“Try to relax.”

Beth nodded.

His eyes caught hers and he held them there. She felt as he slowly pressed into her, and her body tensed, her eyes closing, and her face scrunching in pain as a moan escaped her lips. Except this moan wasn’t like the others, it wasn’t brought on by pleasure, it was brought on by pain. Daryl placed light kisses along her face and neck, whispering calming and reassuring words to her. 

When her face relaxed and the pain began to ease, he began to move his hips. It still hurt, but the hurt was mixing with pleasure, and the pleasure was slowly taking over as her finger dug into his shoulders. Daryl shifted, and Beth moaned, her eyes widening. The feeling of him inside of her was like nothing she had ever experienced before. He continued thrusting into her, and before she knew it, Beth’s hips were mimicking his motions, moving to meet his.

Beth’s hands began roaming over his back as Daryl quickened his pace, his breathless moans filling her ears. Beth felt that fire building in her body again. Daryl’s hands gripped her hips with a bruising force, and Beth knew that they were both getting close. Her moans were now overpowering his, she couldn’t keep quiet any more.

Her body was tensing as her orgasm got closer and closer. One of Daryl’s hands snaked to where their bodies met, his fingers finding her clit. Daryl’s name tumbled from her mouth as she came, and she felt as Daryl covered her mouth with his to muffle her cries of pleasure. 

Daryl continued to thrust into her, his movements becoming irregular as he drove deeper into her with a brutal pace, trying to find his own release. His hips rocked against hers and he groaned out his own release as his orgasm overpowered him, his mouth leaving her lips for his head to rest on her shoulder, moaning into her ear.

Beth’s chest was heaving, trying to catch her breath. Her body was exhausted, and one look at Daryl told her that he was just as tired as she was. He pressed his forehead to hers, his body still covering her. Shee felt his breath tickle her face, and she couldn’t help but smile. Tears began to fall from her eyes, and she saw the worry on Daryl’s face.

“What’s wrong? Did I hurt you? I’m so sorry, Beth,” he said quickly, sounding like a lost puppy.

“No, no. You didn’t hurt me. They’re happy tears. I promise.”

She saw him look at her confusedly, but also saw the way his face instantly relaxed. He slowly pulled himself out of her, collapsing to the ground beside her, and the empty feeling Beth felt was unexplainable. All that she knew was that she wanted more of Daryl, that she didn’t want this to be a one-time thing.

His arms encircled her waist and he pulled her body to his, holding her close. 

“Are you alright?”

Beth nodded. “More than alright. Is it always like that? Always that good?”

He laughed. “With me it is.”

Beth playfully pushed against chest.

Daryl carefully placed a kiss on the top of her head, and Beth smiled sleepily. She was so tired right now. She felt her eyes starting to droop; all she wanted to do was stay like this, curled up next to Daryl’s naked body, and fall sleep in his arms.

“We should get going,” he said quietly. 

Beth opened her eyes and looked up at him. “Do we have to?”

“With all that noise you made every walker in a ten mile radius is probably on its way here. And, people will start wondering where we are.”

Beth overlooked his comment about her being noisy and slowly nodded her head. He got to his feet and helped Beth up. Daryl quickly dressed and then returned to help Beth, gathering her clothes, which were strewn about the ground. Once they were dressed they started their way back to the farm, and Beth was shocked when Daryl’s hand found hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there it is, the chapter that so many of you have been waiting for. I'm not going to lie, I am extremely nervous about this chapter. I am a bit self-conscious when it comes to writing love scenes, so please tell me how I did.
> 
> Also, updates won't be as frequent. This story is published on ff.net, and Ch.25 meant that they finally caught up to each other (I somehow fell behind in posting on here, but it's all good now). You can probably expect an update about once a week.


	26. Chapter 26

Ch.26

He didn’t know why he’d done it, why he’d grabbed her hand. It just felt right. He had never held a woman’s hand before; not like this this, but it felt natural, like it was second nature.

He was still in disbelief at what had just happened, what they had done together. He had been fighting with himself ever since the moment he first realized his feelings for her. But hearing her tell him that she wanted him, that their age difference didn’t matter, that she didn’t care what the others thought, it had thrown any argument he had and all of his doubt out the window. 

He’d never wanted someone so badly. And everything about her was perfection. The way her creamy, soft skin felt pressed against his own rough, calloused skin. The way her hands curiously explored his body, innocent in every move they made, yet igniting a raging fire everywhere they touched. The soft moans that escaped her lips, driving him crazy. He’d been with women before, but nothing even came close to Beth.

He’d been so afraid that he’d hurt her. He wanted to be gentle, but gentle was new to him. All of his previous experiences had been rough, drunken exchanges in the middle of the night after spending hours at the bar. But this had been Beth. She wasn’t one of those women who had wanted him just for a few minutes and then would turn around and leave, never to think about him again. She needed gentle, she needed slow. So he did her best to give her what she needed.

He knew that she had been nervous. When he had placed his hand over her heart, he had felt the rapid beat playing against his palm, but her eyes were trusting, she wasn’t scared. Once he had eased her to the ground, and she had no clothing left on her except her underwear, he allowed himself a moment to admire her. God was she beautiful, and it wasn’t because his mind was clouded with lust, it wasn’t because all he could think about were the events that were going to take place, his mind was clearer than it had ever been, and all he could think about was the right there and right now, he wasn’t even thinking about what was going to happen. He would never get that image out of his mind.

He’d wanted to warm her up to this, to make sure that she was ready, so he had gently taken off her underwear before returning to her mouth to kiss her deeply. His hand made his way lower, and he felt her hesitation as he pushed her legs open, but he continued his movements. He slowly helped her reach her peak, and watched, with a smirk on his face, as she road the waves of pleasure.

He knew that she was ready to move further when she’d asked if they were done. He could hear the fear in her voice that it was over, that he wasn’t going to finish what they had started. And as much as he’d wanted to take her right then and there, he had to be smart about things. So he reached over into the pocket of his pants and grabbed a condom. The last thing either of them needed was for her to get pregnant.

He positioned himself so that he was resting comfortably in the cradle of her hips, his erection pressing against her. He promised her that he’d try to be gentle, and as soon as his eyes held hers, he slowly eased himself in to her. He wanted to relish in the way that she felt around him, but all he could focus on was the moan of pain that escaped her lips, and the way her whole body tensed. He knew that a little pain was inevitable, but he just hoped that she could find pleasure.

He feathered her face, her neck, her chest in light kisses. His hips remained still. He was giving her body time to adjust to the sudden obtrusion. He knew that he was stretching her close to her limits, he could tell by how tight she felt around him. He whispered into her ear, promising her that the pain would go away, that it would feel better. He told her how beautiful she was, and how perfect she felt.

As soon as he saw and felt her body relax, he slowly began thrusting into her. He could tell that it was still hurting her, and he prayed that the pain would soon go away. He saw the exact moment that pleasure took over. Her nails dug into his back, her eyes widening, and her hips began to mimic his own.

He began to move quicker as her moans became louder. He was getting close, and he knew that she was, too. He wanted to make sure that she had her release before he did, so he moved his hand that wasn’t gripping her hip to where their bodies met. His fingers quickly found the nub of flesh that he knew would send her over the edge. It didn’t take long before he heard his name escaping her mouth in a breathless moan.

He moved his lips to kiss her, swallowing her cries of pleasure. His movements began to grow erratic. He was thrusting into her harder, going deeper, searching for his own release. He continued rocking his hips against her as his orgasm overcame him, his thrusts slowing down until they stopped completely.

He moved his forehead to hers, his eyes closed, breathing heavily. He felt her chest rising and falling rapidly beneath him. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw the tears slowly running down his face, and his heart sunk. He hated himself in that moment. But she assured him that he hadn’t hurt her, and that they were tears of joy.

He pulled himself from her and collapsed to the ground next to her. Daryl looped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He wanted to stay like this, but he knew that they had to move. She had been loud, they had both been loud, and he knew that it was only a matter of time before walkers would find them. Reluctantly they got up and changed and began making their way back to the farm. The whole way back he held her hand firmly in his and wore a smile on his face that he wasn’t sure would ever go away.

When they got back he shoved his game bag off on Maggie. The last thing he wanted to do right now was take care of the few animals he had managed to kill. Maggie could deal with them. He was tired, and he knew that Beth would be exhausted. 

They walked to her room, Daryl checking to make sure that nobody was watching them. They both collapsed on her bed, Beth snuggling close to his chest, and Daryl holding her tightly there. They didn’t say anything. They didn’t need to say anything. He watched as sleep quickly consumed Beth. He would stay here, holding her close. He wouldn’t leave her side unless she told him to.

He would never admit it out loud, but he was falling for Beth Greene. And it wasn’t a slow fall. It wasn’t the type of fall where you’d look back and wouldn’t know when it had happened. He would never sit there and wonder about the exact moment he had realized his feelings for her. He was falling hard, harder than he had ever fallen before, and it scared him to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot shorter than the previous chapter. It was originally going to be a lot longer, and start in Daryl's POV and then switch over to Beth's, but as I started writing it I felt as if this chapter could only be in Daryl's POV. I also thought that it was important to get Daryl's POV on the events that took place between him and Beth. So expect Ch.27 to be from Beth's POV!
> 
> Also, some of you may be thinking that this chapter doesn't seem very "Daryl-ish," but I pulled heavily from a quote I read before by Norman Reedus. I can't remember the exact words, but he basically said that if Daryl were ever in a relationship, or if he ever loved someone romantically, he would be with them forever. He would never leave their side. So, yeah, that's why this chapter is the way it is. Daryl is falling for Beth, and he's done pushing his feelings for her to the side.


	27. Chapter 27

Ch.27

She didn’t remember falling asleep, but she had. And even now, lying awake in bed, she had never been more exhausted. Her body was spent, every inch of it was tired. She was struggling to keep her eyes open, but she didn’t want to go back to sleep. 

Daryl was still holding her close against him, his body heat radiating off of him and keeping her warm. She finally managed to keep her eyes open long enough to look up at him. He was awake, his sleepy gaze looking down at her.

“Hey,” he mumbled.

“Hey,” Beth said tiredly.

“How do you feel?”

“Tired. Am I supposed to be this tired?”

He chuckled at her softly. “Yeah, it’s normal.”

Beth nodded slowly.

“You sore?” He asked, looking at her with concern written all over his face.

Beth shifted a little and immediately became aware of the soreness between her legs and in her lower abdomen. It wasn’t an excruciating pain, and nothing like the pain she had felt when he had entered her, but it was definitely there. And now that he had mentioned it, she was positive that she wouldn’t be able to take her mind off of it. But that was okay with her; she wanted to feel the ache because it reminded her of what she’d done, of what they had done together.

“Yeah, I’m a little sore,” she said quietly, not wanting him to know the extent of the pain.

“Just a little?” He asked, calling her bluff.

“Okay, maybe a little more than just a little. But it’s fine, I can deal with it.”

Daryl frowned slightly. “Sorry. I tried to be gentle…I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You don’t have to be sorry, Daryl. You didn’t hurt me. I liked it. I wouldn’t take it back for anything. The pain isn’t bad, really. I promise,” she said reassuringly.

They sat there for a few moments, neither of them talking. The quiet gave her mind time to start making her become self-conscious of herself. What if he regretted what they’d done? What if it hadn’t been good for him? What if she hadn’t been good?

“Daryl?”

“Yeah?” he murmured.

“Did you like it?”

“What?”

“Was it good for you? I mean it was good for me…really, really good, but I want to know if it was good for you.” 

“Yeah, it was good.”

“You don’t have to lie,” she said.

“You want to know the truth?” 

Beth nodded, starting to feel nervous.

He placed his hand under her chin and lightly tilted it up so that she was looking at him. “That was the best sex I’ve ever had…ever.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t mess up?”

“Gosh no! Beth, you were perfect.”

“I was?”

He nodded, smiling softly, and Beth couldn’t help the grin that started to form on his face.

“Daryl?”

“Hmm?”

“Can we do it again?” she asked softly.

“Yeah. I definitely want to do that again.”

“Good, ‘cause I do, too…and soon.”

“I think we should wait until you aren’t sore anymore,” he laughed. “Not sure if I’ll be able to be so gentle next time. Wouldn’t want you to be walkin’ funny or anythin’.”

Beth blushed at what he was implying and snuggled closer to him. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

Daryl sighed. “We should probably get up before they come looking for us. Are you hungry?”

“Yeah,” Beth said, yawning.

“It should be about time for dinner. Why don’t you go clean yourself up…I think you have some leaves in your hair,” he joked.

Beth laughed.

“I’ll meet you downstairs,” he said as he unwrapped his arms from her and sat up.

Beth watched him as he got up and walked towards the door. He opened the door but stopped before walking all of the way out and just stared at her. Beth felt frozen under his intense gaze. He shook his head, smiling, and then walked out, leaving Beth alone. 

After a few moments of laying there trying to gain enough energy to sit up, she got out of bed and walked to her bathroom. Her hair was a mess and her skin had fresh dirt caked to it. She would definitely need to clean herself up a bit before she went downstairs. Maggie had seen her when they’d came back, but she didn’t really get a chance to actually look Beth over, and Beth knew that if she got that chance she would definitely start getting suspicious seeing her disheveled appearance.

Beth disentangled her hair tie from her hair and picked up her brush. She slowly worked out the tangles and then took a wet washcloth and wiped the dirt from her face and arms. She looked at herself one more time to make sure she looked presentable, and then walked down to the kitchen.

When Beth got downstairs Daryl was already sitting at the table. He motioned for her to sit next to him, and she saw a plate sitting next to his, which she assumed he had got for her. She walked over and sat down. Maggie must have cooked the squirrel Daryl had managed to get on their hunting trip. Beth started eating and Maggie joined them at the table, sitting directly across from Beth.

“It’s nice to actually have meat to eat rather than just canned food,” Maggie said, trying to make small talk.

Both Beth and Daryl nodded. 

“I’m glad you were able to get something, Daryl.”

“Yeah, it was the best hunting trip I’ve had in a long time,” he said, glancing at Beth.

Beth couldn’t help the blush that crept into her cheeks. She knew what he was talking about. It wasn’t his best hunting trip because he had managed to kill a few animals, it was his best hunting trip because of what they had done while they were out there.

“You should go out again, and take Beth with you. You seem to do better when she’s with you,” Maggie said, taking a small bite of the food on her plate.

“I was thinking of going out again soon, and I will definitely be bringing Beth with me. She still has a lot to learn. She’s pretty inexperienced.” 

Beth choked on the mouthful of water she was drinking, and both Maggie and Daryl looked at her. Maggie looked concerned, but Daryl had a sly grin on his face. He was teasing her, and he knew exactly what he was doing. He was not talking about the hunting trip. His words were secretly being directed at Beth, and Maggie had no idea.

“You alright?” Daryl asked. 

“Fine. It just went down wrong,” she lied.

“Be more careful,” Maggie told her.

Beth nodded and started eating again, hoping that Maggie was mistaking the blush heating her face as being caused by her nearly choking. 

“Is she any good out there?”

“Oh, she’s really good, actually. For being new to it and all. I think that after a little more practice she’ll be a pro…I may even let her take the lead if she wants to.”

“So, Maggie, what have you been doing all day?” Beth asked hurriedly, trying to change the subject. 

Thankfully Maggie didn’t question the sudden change in subject. “The usual,” she answered. “Glenn and I were planning our next run. We’re starting to run low on supplies, especially things for Judith. We were thinking of making a trip into a town about 30 minutes from here. Do you guys need anything?”

“No,” Beth answered quietly.

“There may be a thing or two that I need. I’ll give a list to Glenn,” Daryl said, looking at Beth. “Or I maybe I’ll just make a run by myself and get what I need.”

Maggie looked at him strangely and shrugged her shoulders. “Suit yourself.”

Beth thought she had a pretty good idea of what it was he needed. And if she was right, she knew why he was reluctant to give the list to Glenn. And if she was right, she knew that Daryl definitely planned on going hunting more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it, Ch.27. This chapter sort of wrote itself. I had the initial outline, but as I wrote the chapter it kind of changed, especially the ending. I actually really like the ending, I thought it was kind of humorous. Daryl was definitely teasing her.
> 
> Please leave a review and let me know what you think! I honestly live for reviews on my stories...they let me know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong, as well as give me motivation to write the next chapter!


	28. Chapter 28

Ch.28

Beth wasn’t sore anymore; at least that’s what she’d told him. She wasn’t sore, and she was ready to go out hunting again, and he wasn’t going to second guess her. He’d been patiently waiting for her to come to him and tell her she was ready, and now that she was, he had all intentions of taking her out hunting again. 

He was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a can of mixed fruit when she finally came downstairs, a huge smile on her face. He didn’t know why, but she was always happy when she woke up.

“Wanna’ go hunting today?”

Beth cocked an eyebrow. “Sure, I’ll go hunting,” she said, making air quotes with her fingers.

Daryl gave her a sly smile and stood. He walked over to her and handed the can of fruit to her.

“Eat this and meet me outside,” he said as he walked outside.

He took a seat on the porch steps and began looking over his crossbow, making sure everything was lined up correctly. He inspected each of his arrows, making sure that none were about to break. He didn’t have many left; he would definitely have to find some more or make his own. A few minutes after he finished, the door opened and Beth stepped outside.

“Ready?” he asked, looking up at her.

Beth nodded and started walking towards the woods, Daryl following closely behind. They were both quiet and diligent as they walked. Sure, Daryl was ready to pounce on her and take her as soon as they were far enough away from the farm, but he was going to keep it in his pants until he actually had something to show for their hunting trip.

After getting three squirrels and four rabbits, Daryl was satisfied. He turned and looked at Beth, who was looking at the ground. He continued staring until she looked up at him, a smirk forming on her face.

“Are we doing it again?” she asked, her voice a mix of nerves and excitement.

“You tell me. If you want to, then yeah, we’ll have sex, but if you don’t want to, or you’re too sore, then we don’t have to.”

Beth shook her head. “No. I want to,” she answered quickly.

Daryl gently laid his crossbow on the ground alongside his game bag. When he looked up at Beth again she already had her shirt off, and he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Guess we aren’t waiting,” he joked.

Her cheeks turned a bright shade of red, and it was the cutest thing he’d ever seen. He quickly disposed of his shirt as she took off her jeans. He made his way over to her, claiming her mouth with his. Beth was quick to yield to the kiss, letting him control the force of it as his tongue slowly found hers.

His hands reached behind her and found the clasp of her bra, his fingers unhooking it. She let it fall to the ground without any hesitation, and his hands immediately found their place cupping her breasts. She moaned into the kiss as his hands teased her nipples.

Carefully he laid her down on the ground. She was still new to this, and he still wanted to take things slow. He hovered over her, placing soft kisses on her creamy silk skin, slowly making his way lower and lower. When he reached her belly button he moved back up to claim her mouth. His hand pulled on the elastic of her panties, and she lifted her hips so he could slide them down her legs.

He pulled away from the kiss for the briefest moment as his hand explored her, his fingers slipping in between her soft folds. Her eyes widen and her back arched, a soft moan escaping her lips. He began to feather her body with kisses as his fingers slowly brought her closer and closer to her peak.

Moving his thumb to her clit and keeping a finger moving at a steady pace in and out of her, he felt her arch her back beneath him. Her legs began to tremble as her orgasm tore through her. He continued moving his fingers within her until her climax was over.

He took a moment to look at her again. Her hazy eyes found his, her expression clouded. Her face was flushed and a light sheen of sweat on her skin glistened in the sunlight. He knew that she was ready for him, so he reached into his pants and found a condom before throwing his jeans to the side and removing his boxers.

He moved to hover over her again, his eyes searching hers to make sure this is what she wanted. She knew what he was looking for, and she gave her head the slightest nod. He nodded back, and grabbed her sides, rolling to switch their positions so that she was straddling him.

“Wh-what are you doing?” she asked, confused.

“Remember, I told you that maybe I’d let you lead next time. Well, I’m letting you.”

“But, Daryl, I-I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Yes you do. Just do whatever your body tells you to. You’re not going to mess up, Beth, believe me…you could never mess this up.”

She looked at him nervously. 

“Beth, you can do this. Trust me. Just do whatever feels right.”

She took a deep breath and nodded again. “Alright.”

He placed his hands on her hips and helped guide her over him. She slowly lowered herself onto him, wincing and gasping slightly at the pain it caused her. Once he was fully resting inside of her, she gave herself a moment to adjust, to allow the pain to pass. Once it had gone, she looked at him again, unsure of herself.

Daryl gripped her hips a little tighter and began moving her on him, coaxing her to trust her instincts. After a few minutes she let her fear and trepidation go and let her body control her movements. Her hips began rolling against his, and Daryl let out a string of curses at how good she felt.

He felt as her muscles began to clench around him, and he knew that she was close. Her pace picked up, trying desperately to find her release. Her breathy moans were filling the air around them as she got closer and closer. Daryl skimmed his hands along her body; trailing down the valley between her breasts, lightly grazing her sides, until they came to the spot their bodies met. He allowed his fingers to explore her lower half again, aiding her in her attempt to release the tension building there.

When he felt her body shudder he knew that she had reached her climax. He quickly rolled them so that he was on top again. He wasn’t giving her body a moment to catch up to her. He kept driving himself into her, his thrusts becoming frantic. It didn’t take long before his orgasm overcame him, and his body collapsed on top of hers.

He slowly pulled himself from her and rolled to lie on his back next to her. Daryl turned his head to watch her. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly; she was still trying to catch her breath. And he swore he could see the slight flutter of her pulse in her neck. Once both of their bodies returned to normal they got up and changed. 

“How did I do?” Beth asked self-consciously as she pulled her boot on.

“You were amazing, Beth,” he said, smiling at her.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Now let’s get back.” 

When they finally made it back to the farm, Maggie and Glenn were loading up the truck. Maggie looked at them strangely, like she was trying to figure something out, but she didn’t say anything.

“What are you doing?” Beth asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

“We’re going on a run. Need anything?”

“No.”

“Alright. We shouldn’t be gone very long,” Glenn said as he got behind the wheel.

Daryl nodded and watched as Maggie and Glenn drove off. He turned to look at Beth.

“I think I’m going to run into town really fast. Think you’ll be able to skin these?”

“Yeah. Be careful…please.”

“I always am.”

Daryl dropped his bag and started walking towards town. It wasn’t a long walk, and after an hour he was walking down the main street. He needed to find the pharmacy. He was looking in the windows, trying to find anything that they may need back at the farm.

When he finally found the pharmacy he went in, grabbed the last box of condoms, and went to leave. The store was mostly empty. He assumed that most everyone had raided it shortly after the world went to shit, and anything that had been left had been scavenged over by people passing through. He was honestly surprised that there were even any condoms left. He would have thought that those would have been the first to go, or that Maggie and Glenn would have taken anything left in the pharmacy. God knows that they were going at it like rabbits when they first met.

He was making his way back through the woods when he heard it. It was barely noticeable at first; just the shuffling of feet over fallen leaves and branches. But the noise grew louder and louder. He knew that it wasn’t just one walker. This was a herd, a herd decent enough in size to make enough noise to alert him to their presence without actually seeing any walkers around.

He quickly began running back to the farm. He needed to tell the others. He wasn’t sure how large the herd was, but he knew it was big. The only thing he had going for him was that they were moving away from the farm. If they kept going in the direction they were heading now, the herd would be gone within a matter a days, a week tops.

But it wasn’t the threat of the walkers that was worrying him. All he was thinking about was how he wouldn’t be able to go out hunting. He and Beth wouldn’t be able to have alone time together until the herd had passed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the delay in posting. I just got a summer job, and this past week has been pretty hectic. I had orientation and training, and on top of that, my sister came up for last minute wedding plans. I'm just going to say this right now, I'm not sure when the next update will be. I'm going to try to do weekly updates, but I'm not sure if I will be able to. My sister's wedding is a few weeks away, so after that I should be back to regular updates. But I promise that I will do my best to update as often as possible, and I promise that I won't just stop wiring...because I absolutely love writing!!!
> 
> Also, this was another smutty chapter, which means I'm self-conscious about it. So please let me know what you think! And, there is a herd of walkers...uh oh. Poor Daryl and Beth won't be able to go "hunting" for a few days.
> 
> And, if you haven't checked it out yet, please take the time to read my newest story, "Changed."


	29. Chapter 29

Ch.29

"There's a herd. We're not gonna be able to go out huntin' for a few days."

"Okay."

Beth didn't understand why Daryl was making such a big deal about the herd. So they wouldn't be able to go hunting until they were certain the herd had passed; it wasn't that big of a deal. They had plenty of food, especially since Glenn and Maggie came back from their run with a trunk full of canned goods.

"I'm not sure how long it will take for it to pass through. It was a decent size. It could be a week or so…"

"Okay, Daryl, I got it the first ten times you said it," she joked. "We have plenty of food. Maggie and Glenn just came back from a run. You can stop worryin' so much."

She watched as the expression on Daryl's face changed from one of worry to amusement. "You really think I'm worried about food? Did you forget what we do on hunts?"

"No. But it's not that big of a deal. So we have to keep our clothes on for a few days…I think we can handle it."

Daryl shook his head, smiling.

"What?"

"You."

"What about me?"

"I think you're gonna be in for a surprise."

"Just because you can't keep it in your pants doesn't mean that I won't be able to control myself. It's only a few days, Daryl. How bad can it be?"

It didn't take her long to get the answer to her own question. The first few days had gone by fine. She hadn't even missed going out hunting. She went about her day as normal. She trained a little with Daryl, helped make meals, and looked after Judith. It was on the fourth day that things changed.

She hadn't realized how much her body could crave sex. She thought that she would easily be able to get through the time they had to wait for the herd to pass. They had plenty of things to do on the farm to keep her busy, so she didn't think she'd even have to think about it. But she was wrong.

She woke up on the fourth day and felt off. Something just didn't feel right, and she didn't know what it was. She ignored it and went down stairs figuring she was still a little tired. She ate a quick breakfast and went outside to find Daryl. They were supposed to be training again today since they couldn't hunt.

It was the normal training routine. Throw a few punches, practice getting out of different holds. But it felt so much different than any other time they had trained. Beth couldn't focus on what she was doing. The only thing her mind could focus on were Daryl's hands on her. The way his hands felt against her arms. The tickling sensation his warm breath caused on the back of her neck.

She hurriedly pushed away from him, creating a safe distance between them. Daryl looked at her confusedly. He probably thought he had done something wrong. Beth looked down, avoiding eye contact with him.

"Can we be done for today?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess. You alright?"

Beth nodded. "Yeah. I'm just a little tired."

"Okay. Then you should go to sleep."

"Maybe," Beth said as she walked away.

The fifth day was even worse. She was helping Maggie prepare dinner when Maggie accidentally bumped into her. She didn't know why, but it angered her and she snapped.

"Watch where you're going!"

Maggie looked at her, shocked. "Um, sorry? It was just an accident."

Beth sighed. "I know. I-I'm sorry."

"Are you alright? You've been acting weird lately."

Beth shrugged her shoulders. "Just tired," she lied. "I haven't been sleeping very well lately."

That wasn't a lie. Beth hadn't been sleeping well at all. Whenever she closed her eyes she saw Daryl. His mouth on hers, kissing her fiercely. She would feel his bare skin against hers, his hands exploring every inch of her body. She had been denying it. She didn't want to admit that Daryl was right. She didn't want to admit that she was craving another hunting trip.

"Are you getting' sick?" Maggie asked her.

"No. I don't think so. I'm just having sleeping problems right now. I'm sure it'll go away."

Maggie looked at her strangely.

"What?" Beth asked.

"Nothing," Maggie said, shaking her head, a small smile forming on her face.

"It doesn't seem like nothing," Beth mumbled.

"You probably don't want to know."

"Try me."

"You sure you want me to tell you? Once I say it you can't unhear it."

"It can't be that bad," Beth said, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"It's just…your acting like I do when Glenn and haven't been together in awhile."

Beth's face turned a deep shade of red and she immediately looked away from Maggie.

Maggie giggled. "Told you that you probably didn't want to know," she said jokingly.

"Yeah. Well, it's definitely not that. I'm just tired."

"It better not be that," Maggie said playfully.

The sixth day started out unbearable. Beth couldn't think about anything other than going on their next hunting trip. It had been six days, so the herd had to have passed through by now. At least that was what she was hoping as she opened her door, planning on going to find Daryl. She jumped back and let out a small scream when she saw Daryl's blue eyes staring down at her.

"Wh-what are you doing?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Daryl ignored her question and pushed past her, closing the door with one hand.

"What are you doing?" Beth asked again. "I was just gonna come find you."

Beth waited for an answer, but the only response she got was Daryl pushing her back against the door, his lips crashing down onto hers. He didn't waste any time. His hands immediately found their way under her shirt, coming to rest on her breasts. Beth moaned, leaning into the kiss.

Daryl grabbed her by the waist and led her over to her bed, laying her back on it so that he was on top of her. His mouth never left hers. He quickly tore her shirt over her head as his hips began to rock against hers. Beth's hands found the hem of his shirt and she slowly pulled it over his head.

Daryl's mouth left hers and moved to her neck. Beth's back arched off of the bed as his hands unclasped her bra and he began to tease her nipples. Her nerves were on fire, and she needed more. This wasn't enough.

Her breathing was coming out in ragged pants. Her shaky hands moved from his chest to his pants and undid his belt buckle. Daryl didn't stop her. He kept trailing wet kisses along her neck, to her collarbone, down the valley between her breasts. Beth was moaning. She knew that she was. She knew that she was being loud, too, but she couldn't help herself.

Beth started to unzip his pants when Daryl's hands covered hers, stopping her movements. He pulled away from her and looked her straight in the eyes, smirking a little. Beth's chest was heaving up and down as she struggled to catch her breath. She tried to pull her hands away from his, but he held them steadily in his.

"Beth. No," he said calmly.

"Wh-what? Why?"

"We can't do this here. You know that."

"But…I'll be quiet. I promise," Beth pleaded with him.

Daryl shook his head. "No," he said, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead and standing back up, zipping his pants and buckling his belt.

"But why?"

"You're loud. I'm loud. We can't be quiet. The walls are thin. We don't want the others finding out."

Beth nodded a little. "But we can be quiet."

Daryl chuckled. "I knew it."

"Knew what?" Beth asked, propping herself up on her elbows and looking at him.

"I knew that you wouldn't be able to last."

Beth blushed. "When can we go out hunting?"

"A few more days. I went out earlier this morning just to see if I could see any signs of the herd. They passed by the farm not too long ago. So we still have to wait a few days."

Beth groaned and fell back against the bed.

Daryl laughed again and left the room.

It had been six days. Her body was buzzing after what her and Daryl had just done. She needed more. She needed it now. She wasn't going to be able to make it a few more days. She was starting to think that Daryl was trying to torture her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there's chapter 29. Beth is a little sexually frustrated, especially after her little make out session with Daryl in her room. And to make matters worse, they still can't go hunting. Next chapter is from Daryl's POV, and I'm really excited about it!
> 
> Please leave a review and tell me what you think!


	30. Chapter 30

Ch.30

He had just wanted to tease her. She had been so sure of herself when she had said that she could make it however long it took for the herd to pass. He knew that she was wrong. She was 18. Her hormones were going haywire, just like any other teenager’s hormones were. So he had wanted to have a little fun with her and prove a point.

That’s why he had gone to her room. He knew exactly what he had been doing, too. He knew that they couldn’t actually do anything. It was just going to be a kiss, some touching, but nothing more. And that’s what it is. They didn’t do anything more; he didn’t let them.

And he knew that it had worked. He knew that he had broken her. The way her voice had pleaded with him to let them go further told it all. And the look of disappointment on her face when he had pulled away from her let him know he had won. He hated himself for doing that to her, for leaving her like that, but he couldn’t help but laugh to himself when he had walked out of the room. Little did he know that his teasing would come back to haunt him.

It had been twelve days. Twelve days since they had gone out hunting. Six days since he had teased Beth in her room, and those six days had been torture. Every morning he woke up with his pants tented in the groin. He couldn’t get his mind off of Beth. He couldn’t get the feel of her body arching beneath him as he teased her out of his mind. 

It had been twelve days, and he had decided that twelve days was long enough. The herd had to be far enough away. And if it wasn’t, he didn’t really care right now. He and Beth were going out hunting. 

Quickly sitting up in bed and throwing his legs over the side, shoving his feet into his boots, he stood up and grabbed his crossbow. It was still pretty early in the morning, so he knew that Beth would be in her room. Walking to her room he contemplated what he would do if she were still asleep, and finally came to the conclusion that he would drag her out of bed and pull her into the woods to go hunting.

Thankfully, when he opened her door, Beth was sitting on the edge of her bed, slipping her feet into the cowboy boots she had been wearing for the longest time. Her eyes darted to him, a little shocked at the sudden intrusion, but she relaxed a few moments later. He briskly walked over to her and gently grabbed her arm, pulling her up off of the bed and starting to drag her towards the door.

“What’re you doin’?”

“We’re goin’ hunting,” he said gruffly.

Any fight she had been putting up instantly stopped at those three words, and Daryl couldn’t help but smile. She had been as anxious for this as he had been. Daryl kept a firm grasp on her arm as they made their way down the stairs and out of the door, down the porch steps, and started walking to the woods.

“Where are you two going?” Rick asked.

“Hunting.”

“What about the herd.”

“It’s been twelve days. They gotta be gone by now.”

“What if it isn’t?”

“Crossbow,” Daryl said, shifting the weight of the weapon slung across his back.

“What about Beth?”

“Knife,” Beth said cheerfully, unsheathing her knife and waving it in the air as Daryl continued to pull her behind him.

“Just…be careful.”

“Always am,” Daryl said gruffly, hurriedly dragging Beth to the woods.

They were walking fast, neither of them looking for any signs of wildlife. Daryl was vaguely keeping watch of their surroundings, checking for walkers, but thankfully he hadn’t seen any sign of them yet. He assumed that the herd had moved on and was well out of the area by now.

After a few more minutes of walking he stopped, letting go of Beth’s arm which he just now realized he was still holding onto. He abruptly turned to face her and without even thinking, quickly closed the short distance between them, walking Beth backwards and shoving her back against the nearest tree. He knew he pushed her a little hard when a gasp escaped her throat, but she smiled at him, and that was enough encouragement to continue.

In one swift movement he rid her of her jeans, helping her kick her boots off so she could get the jeans and panties all of the way off of her. His mouth instinctually went to hers as his hands fumbled with his own belt, quickly grabbing a small, square, foil packet from his pocket first. He had her body pinned against the tree with his own; she couldn’t move, and he knew that. His pants fell to the ground and he stepped out of them.

He put one hand on her lower back, pulling her body as close to him as possible, continuing to kiss her savagely. His other hand dropped to dip between her legs. He wanted her badly, so badly that it hurt, but he wanted to make sure that she was ready.

“Damn girl, what have you been thinkin’ ‘bout? You’re soakin’,” he said, smirking as he pulled his mouth away from hers, tearing the packet open with his teeth and then sliding the condom on.

Beth didn’t say anything. Her chest was heaving as she struggled to regain her breath after only being able to take short breaths during the kiss. Her lips were red and swollen. Her pupils were dilated. It only made him want her more. And he couldn’t wait any longer.

He moved his hands under her thighs and lifted her up, pressing her harder against the tree. Without even warning her, he suddenly drove into her, as hard and as deep as he could go. A low moan escaped her lips, and her hands tightly gripped his shoulders.

Daryl kept up a brutal pace. He was rough with her. He knew that he was. He had never been rough with her before. He was dominating her. He knew that she would have bruises and scrapes on her back from the tree. He knew that she would probably walk funny for a few days. And he knew that she would be sore. But right now he didn’t care about any of those things.

Beth’s breathless moans began to grow louder and louder, and he felt as her muscles began to constrict around him. She was close. And with every passing second she was getting louder.

“Keep quiet, girl,” he managed to grind out. “Gonna draw every walker to us.”

“Can’ t help it,” Beth moaned out. “I’m so close,” she whined, desperate to find her release. 

“I know,” Daryl said softly, watching her face. “Don’t scream,” he said as he began to thrust into her even faster, setting a punishing pace.

Beth buried her face in the crook of his neck, trying to muffle her breathy moans. Her legs were beginning to shake the closer she got. And then it happened. He felt as her orgasm ripped through her.

But he didn’t slow down. His thrusts grew more frantic, harder, driving deeper into her. Her body was limp against his, completely spent. And after a few more seconds, his body arched into hers, his body finding the release it had been craving for the past twelve days. 

His legs gave way, and they both fell to the ground, Beth’s back sliding down the rough bark of the tree. He kept her pinned against the trunk, their body’s still joined, their chests rising and falling in sync with each other. Beth rested her head against Daryl’s shoulder, still trying to recover.

“Sorry,” Daryl said, still breathing heavily. “Didn’t mean to be so rough.”

“It’s okay,” Beth whispered, her eyes falling shut.

Daryl nodded, wanting to say more, but not able to.

Daryl pulled away from her a few moments later, and couldn’t help but smile at the whimpering noise she made at the sudden loss of him. Her body leaned against the tree. While he had come back from his state of ecstasy, she was still in it, her breathing ragged, her skin shining in her afterglow.

He put his pants on, still watching Beth, and stepped into his boots. He walked over and gathered her things and brought them over to her, but she didn’t move to put them on.

“You gonna get dressed?”

Beth nodded her head, opening her eyes to look at him.

“Tired?”

“Yep,” she said quietly.

Daryl laughed a little and watched as Beth slowly reached her hands out to her clothes. She stayed sitting on the ground as she slid her panties up her legs, lifting her butt slightly so she could get them all the way up.

“Here, let me help you,” Daryl said, walking over to her and lightly grabbing her hands to pull her up.

“Thanks.”

“Yup,” Daryl said, reaching down and grabbing her jeans, holding them open for her to step into.

After Beth was fully dressed he looked at her again. Her lips were still swollen. Her pupils were still dilated. Her hair was a mess. She took a few steps and Daryl knew that he had been right, she was going to be walking funny…she was sore.

“Sorry,” he said again, immediately regretting being so rough with her.

“For what?”

“I should’ve been more gentle…”

Beth looked at him, smiling slightly. “I liked it rough.”

“You did?” Daryl asked, shocked, thinking she was lying.

“Yeah. I know that you can be gentle, Daryl…but I don’t always need gentle. So, feel free to be rough again…” Beth trailed off, her cheeks turning red as she blushed.

“You’re sore, aren’t you?”

Beth nodded.

“You gonna be alright to walk?”

“Yeah,” Beth laughed. “You weren’t that rough,” she joked.

Daryl shook his head, not able to control the soft chuckle that escaped. “We should get headin’ back.”

“We haven’t been out here that long.”

“I know we haven’t. But you need to lie down after that. And I think you scared away anything living or dead around here after all that noise you were makin’.”

Beth’s blushed turned a deeper shade of red and she looked down. 

Daryl walked over to her, brushing past her and reaching hid head down so his lips were next to her ear. “I like my girls noisy,” he teased. “Makes it more fun,” he said, walking past her.

Beth quickly started to follow him, but Daryl didn’t bother to look back at her. He knew that her face would be as red as a tomato. And he knew that she was following him because he could hear the crunching of leaves beneath her feet, which told him that she was sorer than she was letting on.

The walk back to the farm was quiet. Neither of them said a word. They didn’t need to. They were both content. They had both been waiting for that to happen, but neither of them had expected it to be anything like that.

When they finally got back to the farm, Beth was walking beside Daryl. Daryl could see that most everyone was up. He could see movement in the house, and Maggie, Glenn, and Rick were out in the front yard. All three heads turned to look at them when they approached. But only two of the faces smiled. The third face, Maggie’s face, was staring straight at Beth with a confused expression. Daryl glanced over at Beth and realized how disheveled she looked. Her ponytail was falling out, her shirt wasn’t on straight, her lips were red.

“What the hell happened to you?” Maggie asked, still looking at Beth.

“Nothing,” Beth said, not realizing what she looked like.

Maggie’s gaze shifted to Daryl and her face fell, paling slightly. Her confused expression was replaced by one of anger. “What the hell did you two do?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the latest chapter. Daryl's little teasing game sort of backfired on him because it made the wait so much worse...so bad that he decided he couldn't wait any longer. And then, rough Daryl came out! He wasn't gentle with Beth at all, but it turns out that Beth likes it rough, too! And what about Maggie?! Uh oh!
> 
> Please leave a review and tell me what you think!


	31. Chapter 31

Ch.31

Beth couldn’t stop smiling as they walked back to the farm. It was a sleepy smile. She was exhausted after what her and Daryl had just done. She could see Maggie, Rick, and Glenn as they got closer. And she watched as Maggie eyed her curiously. She figured that Maggie was wondering where the squirrels or whatever other animals they usually killed on hunts were. She knew that Daryl would just tell Maggie that the woods were especially quiet that morning.

“What the hell happened to you?” Maggie asked, her eyes still glued to Beth.

“Nothing,” Beth said.

Beth was confused. She didn’t know what Maggie was talking about. She didn’t know why Maggie was still looking at her. And then she watched as Maggie’s eyes shifted to Daryl and her face paled. She saw the anger in her eyes. And she knew. Beth knew in that instant that Maggie had been piecing the pieces together, and she was dangerously close to solving the puzzle that her and Daryl had been trying to hide.

"What the hell did you two do?!” Maggie said, her voice eerily calm.

“Nothing,” Beth said again. She didn’t understand how Maggie was figuring this out. And she was frantically trying to come up with a way to deter her from finding the answer, but her mind was blank.

Maggie’s eyes shifted back to Daryl. “You’re fucking my little sister?!” Maggie said loudly, trying her hardest to control her anger, but failing miserably.

“No. We’re not ‘fucking,’” Daryl said defensively, quick to answer.

Well, that was kind of a lie. Sure, they had made love, but what they had just done definitely wasn’t in the interest of love. That was fucking…hard. It was needy and it was rough and desperate. And Beth had the constant reminder of it every time she moved a muscle; her whole body ached, but she enjoyed this pain. Beth’s face turned beet red at the thought and she immediately looked down.

“What the hell, Daryl?! She’s 18,” Maggie yelled.

“Yeah. She’s an adult.”

Beth watched from the corner of her eye as Maggie closed the distance between her and Daryl. She watched as Maggie pushed Daryl, putting all of her strength behind it. Daryl stumbled back a few steps, but quickly regained his balance. And for a minute Beth thought that Daryl was going to do something back, say something, but he didn’t do anything.

“Maggie, I think you need to calm down,” Glenn said softly.

“Calm down?! Do you not understand what they’ve been doing?!”

“I do. But yelling isn’t going to solve anything. Why don’t you just go back inside,” he suggested.

And with that, Maggie reached over and roughly grabbed Beth’s arm. She began to walk back to the house, pulling a reluctant Beth behind her. She marched straight to Beth’s room, ignoring the lingering stares of those in the house. Beth sat down on the edge of her bed, jumping when Maggie slammed her door closed. 

Beth kept her eyes glued to the floor, nervously fumbling with the hem of her shirt. Maggie was pacing back and forth in front of her, not saying anything. But Beth could tell that Maggie was looking at her, and it caused Beth to shift uncomfortably.

“Did he force you? Did he make you do it?” Maggie asked when she finally stopped pacing.

“No,” Beth answered quickly, lifting her head to look at Maggie, shocked by what she was asking.

“You can tell me the truth, Beth. If he hurt you we can keep him away from you,” Maggie said softly, still looking at Beth.

“He didn’t do that to me, Maggie. He didn’t rape me if that’s what you’re asking. It’s what I wanted.”

“Then how’d you end up looking like this?!” Maggie yelled. 

Beth didn’t answer her.

“How long has this been going on?” 

“It started when we started goin’ out hunting…”

“So you just thought it’d be a good idea to have sex with out in the woods?!”

“No…it just…it just happened.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know. It just…it felt right, Maggie,” Beth said, her voice pleading with Maggie to understand. 

“It felt right to have sex with a man who’s nearly twice your age?!”

“Age doesn’t matter!”

Maggie scoffed. “Yeah…it does.”

“”Daddy was older than mom,” Beth said defensively. “And it’s not like there are any boys around my age.”

“So you just settled?”

“No. I didn’t just settle. I-I love him, Maggie.” 

“Yeah, but does he love you?!”

“Yeah, he does. He told me that he does.”

Maggie didn’t say anything. She kept looking at Beth. Beth looked back down. Part of her wanted Maggie to say something, but another part of her was dreading what Maggie would say. She knew that she would tell Beth that she couldn’t see Daryl anymore. She knew that Maggie would do everything she could to keep Daryl away from her. She was just waiting for Maggie to say it.

“Fine,” Maggie said softly, sighing.

“W-what?” Beth asked quietly, looking at Maggie again.

“I’m alright with it I guess.”

“You didn’t seem alright with it…”

“That’s because you’re my baby sister, you’re 18, and I want to protect you.”

“He’s good with you, right?”

Beth nodded.

“And he makes you happy?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. I’m not gonna stop you from bein’ with him. But, you gotta tell me what happened out there…your clothes are dirty…your shirts ripped up in the back…your hairs a mess. You’re sure he didn’t hurt you?”

“No. He didn’t hurt me.”

Maggie nodded. She remained silent for a few minutes, walking over and sitting down beside Beth on the bed. She looked down and then glanced at Beth.

“Are you usin’ protection?”

“Yes…I’m not stupid, Maggie.”

“You know what can happen if you don’t use protection, right?”

“Yes.”

“It just takes one screw up, Beth. Just one.”

“Are we really having the sex talk, Maggie?”

“Yeah, we are,” Maggie said loudly. 

“I already had it with Mama when I started dating Jimmy,” Beth groaned.

“Yeah, well, you’re getting it again,” Maggie said gruffly. “Havin’ sex is a lot riskier now than it was back then, Beth. We don’t exactly have hospitals to go to if you get pregnant.”

“I’m not gonna get pregnant.”

“If you forget to use protection you could.”

“We’re not gonna forget to use protection.”

“What if he runs out of condoms?”

Beth shrugged her shoulders.

“Don’t let him tell you that he can just pull out.”

“Ew, Maggie…stop,” Beth groaned.

“That doesn’t always work, Beth.”

“Maggie,” Beth pleaded.

“I know that sometimes you just get caught up in the moment, but if he doesn’t have protection do not have sex. Okay?”

“I know that, Maggie.”

“And doin’ it out in the woods probably isn’t the best idea. There are walkers out there…”

“I know that, Maggie,” Beth said again. “But we’re careful…”

“I can’t believe my little sister lost her virginity,” Maggie mumbled quietly, more to herself than to Beth.

Beth immediately blushed.

“He was your first, right?”

“Yeah, he was.”

“And he was gentle?”

“Yes, Maggie.”

Maggie smiled softly and then hugged Beth. “You’re growin’ up too fast,” she said sadly. “I’m sorry about getting mad.”

Beth loosely hugged Maggie back. “It’s fine.”

Maggie pulled away from the hug, letting her hands rest gently on Beth’s shoulders. She smiled softly, looking at Beth. Beth looked at Maggie for a moment before looking down.

“I’m not saying that I’m particularly fond of the idea of you and Daryl, and I definitely don’t like the idea of you having sex. But if he’s good to you and he makes you happy, then I’m okay with it, I’m happy for you,” Maggie said softly.

“You really mean that?”

“Yeah, I do. And if you have any questions about anything…boys, relationships, sex…just ask me. Okay? I won’t judge you.”

“Thank you,” Beth said, letting out a soft sigh of relief. “Thank you for not being mad and not making me stay away from him.”

Maggie lightly squeezed Beth’s shoulder before standing up. “Why don’t you take a shower; you’re a mess,” she joked, laughing quietly. “And throw that shirt away. Then get some sleep. I’ll come up to get you when lunch is ready.”

Beth nodded, watching as Maggie left her room. She couldn’t believe that Maggie had found out. And she couldn’t believe that Maggie was okay with her relationship with Daryl. If Maggie was okay with it, then it meant that her and Daryl didn’t have to hide anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know that this chapter isn't anything like what the majority of you were expecting. Most of you were expecting World War III to happen. But, when I planned this chapter out, which I've had planned for quite some time, I kept going back to what Lauren Cohan said on The Talking Dead before when asked about Beth and Daryl and a possible relationship. She said that Maggie wouldn't be mad, that she would be happy for Beth and would approve of their relationship. So, that's why this chapter turned out the way it did.
> 
> Please leave a review and tell me what you think!


	32. Chapter 32

Ch.32

He watched as Maggie and Beth disappeared into the house. He desperately wanted to chase after her, pry her away from Maggie, but he was frozen in place. His heart dropped when he thought of what Maggie was going to put Beth through; an endless interrogation of questions, lecture, yelling, screaming, and most likely she would forbid Beth from even laying eyes on him again.

“Are you having sex with Beth?!” 

The voice shook him from his thoughts. He looked at the two men standing in front of him, both staring at him, confusion and disbelief written all over their faces. 

“Are you having sex with Beth?”

It was Glenn. He had been the one to ask the question. Daryl ignored him, steeling a quick glance at the house again. He wanted to be with Beth. He knew that he had been rough with her. But what if he had been too rough, and Beth had lied when she had said that she liked it? Would Beth tell Maggie? And what would Maggie do when she found out how rough he had been with her?

“Daryl?”

“It’s none of your business,” Daryl said gruffly, looking back at the younger man.

“Uh, yeah, it is…she’s kind of my sister-in-law.”

“Don’t mean you get to decide who she sleeps with.”

“So it is true. You’re fucking Beth,” Glenn said quietly, running a hand through his hair in exasperation.

Shit. By the way both Rick and Glenn’s facial expressions changed he knew that this wasn’t going to end well. Beth was Glenn’s sister-in-law. He knew that Glenn felt a responsibility for her, even more now that Hershel was gone. And Rick, Rick just liked to look out for everybody. And in Rick’s eyes, Beth was probably still a kid.

“You’re fucking Beth,” Glenn repeated in disbelief. 

Daryl rolled his eyes. “How many times are ya’ gonna say that? Yeah. I’m fucking her.”

“You’re having sex with Beth,” Glenn said, and Daryl swore he heard the slightest hint of anger.

“Yeah. Thought that we already said that.”

And before Daryl could make sense of what was happening, Glenn charged forward. A fist swung in the air and connected with Daryl’s jaw, hard. He didn’t know Glenn had that in him. Rubbing his jaw with his hand he glared at Glenn, who was shaking his hand slightly in the air.

“Fuck that hurt. Are you made of steel or something?” Glenn asked, meeting Daryl’s glare with his own.

“You’re not…taking advantage of her, are you?” Rick asked hesitantly.

“What? No. You think I’d really do that?” Daryl bellowed, taking an intimidating step towards Rick, anger fueling his movements.

He would never hurt Beth. He would never take advantage of Beth. Hell, if it weren’t for Beth making the first move, they wouldn’t even be sleeping together. And he thought that Rick knew him better than that. Sure, he could understand Glenn being mad. If he were Glenn he would probably want to beat the shit of himself, too. He knew that Beth deserved better than Daryl could offer. But Rick. Hearing Rick ask that question, knowing that Rick thought Daryl was capable of doing that to someone, it hurt.

“You really think I’d do that?”

“I don’t know, Daryl. She’s young, and she’s pretty, and you two have been spending a lot of time together. I’d understand if maybe you read her intentions wrong…”

“I didn’t read nothin’ wrong. I would never rape her. If she were to say no I’d stop. But she wants it just as much as I do.”

“Okay. Maybe it is consensual. But her age…” 

“She’s 18. She’s an adult. She’s not a kid.”

“But she’s so much younger than you,” Glenn piped in.

“You really think age matters that much? “

“It’s just that…maybe it’s what she thinks she wants, but maybe she really doesn’t. She’s still maturing. Maybe she’s thinking with her body and not her brain,” Rick said with a heavy sigh.

“Still maturing? Beth’s more mature than half the people in this group, always has been. She knows what she wants and what she doesn’t want. She can make her own decisions.” 

“Daryl…” Rick trailed off, clearly trying to collect his scattered thoughts. “I just think that it’d be best if you put an end to this…”

“I ain’t endin’ it unless Beth wants it to end. If Beth says it’s over, then it’s over. But I ain’t gonna listen to someone who just thinks I’m “fuckin’” her for shits and giggles, that I’m just usin’ her for my own pleasure.”

Daryl looked at Rick for a moment longer before starting to walk towards the house. He purposefully bumped his shoulder into Rick’s as he walked by, causing Rick to stumble backwards a few steps.

“Daryl.”

Daryl ignored him. He was done talking to them. He knew what they were thinking. They thought he was a dirty old man who was getting his kicks out of sleeping with a younger girl. And yeah, sleeping with Beth felt good; sex with Beth was the best sex he’d ever had. But it was more than just sex. It was like he had this connection with her, a deep connection that he’d never had with anyone else.

Daryl walked up the porch steps and threw the door open, trying his hardest to control his anger, which was mixed with an underlying hurt. As soon as he stepped inside a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him into a room, the door closing as soon as he was in. It was Maggie.

“We need to talk.”

“I’m not really in the mood for talking right now.”

“I don’t care if you want to talk or not. We’re talking. So you might as well make yourself comfortable.”

Daryl sighs and leaned back against the door, his eyes looking everywhere but Maggie. 

“You’re sleeping with her…”

Daryl nodded once.

“H-how did this even start? Who’s idea was it?”

Daryl shrugged his shoulders, not answering her question.

“Daryl. Answer me.”

God she could be demanding.

“Guess it started when I started trainin’ her. I don’t know.”

“Who’s idea was it to have sex?”

Daryl didn’t know how to answer this question. Should he tell Maggie the truth and say that Beth had been the one to convince him. Would she even believe him? Or he could lie and say that it was his idea; he could take all of the blame, maybe save Beth from whatever punishment Maggie would give her. But what if Beth already told Maggie the truth, or what if Maggie eventually found out?

“I want the truth, Daryl. Don’t lie to me.”

Well that answered his question.

“It was Beth’s idea,” Daryl mumbles. “Damn girl was determined,” he said, smirking to himself as he remembered Beth’s convincing argument. 

Maggie swallowed hard. “Okay.”

Daryl glanced up at her, slightly confused. Okay? What the hell did that mean?

“If your sleeping with her, there isn’t much that I can do. I don’t get to make Beth’s decisions anymore.”

“W-what?”

“I’m not going to yell at you. And as much as I want to, I’m not going to punch you for taking her virginity.”

Daryl blushed; he could feel the heat in his cheeks.

“Daryl Dixon blushing,” Maggie teased, smiling softly.

“You ain’t mad?”

“Not particularly happy. But Beth told me that you aren’t forcing her and that you’re good to her. And I guess that’s all that I could really ask for for her. As long as she’s happy I’m okay with it.”

Daryl nodded. “I’d never hurt her, Maggie…I’d never do anything that she didn’t want.” 

“I know. Just...promise me to use protection. It’s hard enough thinking about my little sister having sex, but the thought of her getting pregnant is even scarier.”

“I know. I’d never not use protection.”

“And one more thing, if you and Beth are going to be doing that, don’t do it out in the woods. She’s my sister…she shouldn’t be coming back with dirt on her shirt and leaves in her hair.”

“Sorry ‘bout that.”

“She’s up in her room if you want to see her; she might still be in the shower, though,” Maggie said after a long pause of silence.

Daryl nodded before slowly opening the door, Maggie following him out.

“I’m making lunch. Want me to come get the two of you when it’s ready, or should I just set some aside for the two of you?” Maggie asked awkwardly.

“Just set some aside,” he said, starting to walk up the stairs.

He quickly made his way to Beth’s room, sighing when he heard the water from the shower. He laid down on Beth’s bed, letting his mind wander. That had been a lot easier than he thought it would have been. He had expected Maggie to kill him for what he was doing with Beth, but she had taken the news better than Rick and Glenn. Maybe if Maggie could be so accepting of them everyone else could be, too.

The water turned off and Daryl lifted his head to see Beth standing in the doorway of the bathroom, staring at him with a hug grin on her face, a towel wrapped tightly around her. She slowly made her way to her dresser and threw a clean pair of jeans and a shirt onto the bed.

“Maggie talk to you yet?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder as she let her towel drop, keeping her back to him.

“Yeah.”

“How’d it go?”

“A lot better than I thought it would,” he admitted, watching as Beth dressed herself.

“I thought she was going ground me or something, say I couldn’t see you anymore,” Beth said, walking over and sitting down on the edge of her bed.

“So did I.”

“How long do you think until everyone knows?”

“Not long.”

“How do you think they’ll react?”

“Glenn and Rick aren’t happy, but I don’t know about the others.

Beth nodded, her fingers idly playing with a frayed string on her sheets. She had something on her mind, and Daryl knew it, but she was hesitating to say whatever it was. But Daryl didn’t push her. He knew that she would say whatever it was she was thinking about when she was ready to say it.

“Daryl?” Beth asked quietly.

“Yeah?”

“You love me, right?”

Daryl’s eyes widened slightly. 

“It’s just, Maggie asked me, and I told her that you do…but you’ve never said it…”

Daryl sighed. Did he love her? Hell, he didn’t even know what love was. He’d never used that word before. He’d never felt love from his father, rarely felt it from his mother, and he had an obscure sense of brotherly love towards Merle, but he assumed that was more of a bond that had been formed from what they had been through. And of course he had what he assumed was love for everyone in this group. But did he love Beth?

And then it hit him. That feeling he’d been feeling, that deep connection that he had never felt with anyone else. The way his heart would speed up whenever he saw her. The way he watched her every move, entranced by her. And her eyes, he’d get lost in them. And the feel of her naked body against his, the way that only she could make him feel, the things that only her body could do to him.

“You don’t have to say it. I just told Maggie that you did to get her off of my back,” Beth said with a fake laugh.

And he heard the hurt in her voice. He saw the way her lips turned downwards, her head tilting down slightly. But he still couldn’t bring himself to say it. Everything in him wanted to blurt it out, but something was holding him back. He was scared. He was terrified to say that he loved her. Because once he said it he couldn’t take it back, it made it real. And he couldn’t stand the thought of loving someone when everything in the world they lived in would fight against them, try to break them, take one of them, leave one of them heartbroken.

“I’m just gonna go downstairs,” Beth whispered, trying to hide the hurt and sadness in her voice. “Maggie’s makin’ lunch. I should help her,” she said as she stood up.

Daryl quickly reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her down until she was laying next to him. He rolled so that he was laying on top of her, her body trapped beneath his. His lips crashed into hers as he held both of her hands against the bed with his.

“I ain’t good with words or feelings or emotions, and I don’t really know what love is. But yeah, I think that I…” he trailed off, his eyes glued to her baby blues, still hesitating to say it. “I think that I love you, Beth Greene.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize for the delay in updating. School started up again, so I've been busy with back to school things, and the homework is already starting to pile up! So updates won't be as often, because school comes first. That being said, I really enjoy writing, so I am going to try my best to write as often as possible.
> 
> And, this was a big chapter! Rick and Glenn aren't happy about Daryl and Beth's relationship, yet Maggie has no problem with it. I wonder how everyone else will react? And, perhaps the biggest part in this chapter, Daryl tells Beth that he loves her! If you recall in last chapter Beth tells Maggie that Daryl told her that he loves her, but, if you are a careful reader and pay attention, Daryl has never told Beth that he loves her...until now!
> 
> Please leave a review and tell me what you think!


	33. Chapter 33

Ch.33

He didn’t say it back. She had asked him if he loved her, and he wasn’t saying it back. He was just sitting there, staring at her, and she was rambling on, desperately trying to hide her hurt and disappointment. But then there was a tug on her arm, and before she knew it she was on the bed, Daryl hovering above her, her hands pinned to the bed by his. And then his mouth was on hers, and her mind was racing, trying to catch up to what was happening. But he was kissing her. And the weight of his body was on her. And then his lips left hers, and he was just looking at her, his gaze dark and intense.

“I ain’t good with words or feelings or emotions, and I don’t really know what love is. But yeah, I think that I…”

He was still looking at her. Her heart was racing, her mind spiraling out of control, her body on fire from the feeling of him completely covering her. And what was he trying to say?

“I think that I love you, Beth Greene.”

He’d said it. He’d just told her that he loves her. And now Beth didn’t know how to react. Her eyes were glued to his, and her body was still pinned beneath him; she couldn’t move even if she wanted to. And they just looked at each other for what seemed like forever. And then his lips crashed into hers again. And her body was on fire.

“W-we should go downstairs,” Beth said breathlessly, pulling away from the kiss. “Maggie said that she was gonna come up and get me when lunch was ready…”

The last thing Beth needed was Maggie walking in on them making out. She was already mortified that Maggie had made her tell her about her relationship with Daryl. And Beth knew where they were headed right now. 

Daryl looked at Beth for a moment, a smirk on his face, before shaking his head no. “I told her that we’ll come down when we’re ready. We have as long as we want,” he said, slowly lowering his lips to hers as he began to gently kiss her.

Daryl released Beth’s hands from his and moved them to the hem of her shirt, slowly inching the material upwards, revealing the pale skin of her torso. His hands glided over the skin there, causing Beth to squirm as the feeling was intensified by her lust for him.

“I need you to stay quiet,” he whispered as he continued to pull Beth’s shirt up and over her head, dropping the material to the floor beside the bed. “Ya’ still sore?” he asked as he unzipped her pants.

Beth nodded, only barely registering what Daryl had asked her. Her mind was too focused on the gliding of his hands down her thighs as he removed her jeans. Her thoughts were consumed by his mouth on her collarbone. And she barely even noticed when Daryl gently reached his hands underneath her and unclasped her bra, carefully removing the garment and tossing it aside. 

“I’ll be gentle this time,” he whispered, pulling away from her.

Beth immediately looked at him when she felt his absence. His shirt was off, and he was making quick work of removing his jeans. To her surprise, he wasn’t wearing any underwear. But before she had anytime to comment, he was back on top of her, putting just enough of his weight on her to make it impossible for her to move away from him, but not enough to make it difficult for her to breath. And his mouth was on hers again, kissing, biting, nipping; moving along her jaw, her throat, her neck, her chest.

“You’re so fuckin’ beautiful, Beth Greene,” he whispered.

She felt his hot, steamy breath against her neck as he whispered the words, his lips just brushing against the soft skin there. His hands raked heavily down her body, grazing the sides of her breasts and making her gasp against him as he settled himself between her legs. She felt his erection lightly pressing against her opening, and she couldn’t help the soft whimper that escaped her lips. She needed him to be in her, she needed to be with him. And it was as if he had been able to read her thoughts, because before she knew it, he thrust inside of her, causing them both to groan in pleasure.

“We need to be quiet,” he said breathlessly.

Beth nodded, and Daryl started a slow, steady rhythm that was almost torturous. With each thrust Beth felt the dull ache that had been left behind from their hunting trip earlier that day, and with each thrust she got closer and closer to her release. It was a slow and steady build, one that seemed like it was never going to end. Her body was on fire, her breathing coming out in short, shallow pants, her legs quivered, and her muscles tensed. And then it happened; she completely unraveled around him, her orgasm tearing through her.

She had expected for Daryl to follow her, to find his release shortly after. She had expected that his weight would bear down on her as she struggled to regain her breath, as her body calmed down. But she had been wrong. Daryl was still moving inside of her. Her body was still on fire, her nerves going crazy. Her breathing was growing more erratic and her heart was racing.

The sensation was overwhelming. Everything she was feeling was intensified in the wake of her orgasm, and she could feel the familiar tightening of her muscles, and she began to panic. She was exhausted, and she didn’t understand how her body was still reacting so intensely to every movement Daryl made. She didn’t know how she would be able to make it through another orgasm.

“Daryl,” she whimpered quietly, panic entering her voice. “Daryl. I-I can’t…” she trailed off.

“What’s wrong, Beth?” Daryl asked worriedly, his breathing harsh and ragged as he continued his slow, torturous assault on her.

“I-it’s too much,” she said between pants. “Too much.” 

“Shhh,” Daryl whispered against her lips. “It’s okay, Beth. Stop thinkin’. Stop worryin’. Let your body do what it wants to do. Let yourself come undone for me.”

And she did. That was all it took. His words sent her over the edge. Her mind faded into blackness, completely consumed by the orgasm ripping through her body, more intense than anything she had ever felt before. 

She didn’t know how long she had lost herself, but when she opened her eyes again she was laying on top of Daryl. She could feel his heart beating against her and the slow, steady rise of his chest. His arms were wrapped securely around her, holding her in place, and she became aware that he was still rested inside of her. She would have moved, but she was too tired.

She could feel his eyes on her, studying her, studying her face. His thumb was lightly drawing circles on her back, and the repetition of the movement was causing her eyes to droop. And the heat from his body, the feeling of his bare skin against hers was making staying awake almost impossible.

“You’re tired, aren’t you?” he asked quietly.

Beth slowly nodded her head, struggling to keep her eyes open.

“C’mon,” Daryl said, chuckling. “Let’s get dressed and go down stairs and get some lunch, maybe that’ll give you some energy. Maggie’ll be wondering where we are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was smut-filled. It was a huge contrast to the sex in chapter 30, which was rough and wasn't about love at all. This time it was slow and in the wake of Daryl's confession that he loves Beth. And chapters 30-33 all happen in the period of a few hours! Let's just say that Daryl and Beth have had a very busy few hours.
> 
> Anyways, please leave a review! I have received a lot of reviews on the last few chapters, and I absolutely love hearing what my readers think!


	34. Chapter 34

Ch.34

“Hey, Beth, keep your eyes open,” Maggie joked.

Beth slowly opened her eyes back up, looking at Maggie, who was sitting across from her at the table. Maggie was smiling at her, a soft laugh escaping her lips as her eyes stared intently at Beth. Beth was holding her fork loosely in her hand, the plate of food in front of her left untouched.

She was tired, more tired than she could ever remember being. Daryl had made her come downstairs to get something to eat, and she couldn’t understand how he wasn’t as exhausted as she currently was. He didn’t even seem affected at all by their excessive physical activity.

After Daryl had rolled them over so that he was on top of her, he had slowly pulled himself out of Beth. He had quickly changed while Beth had all but fallen asleep, naked, on her bed. Daryl had had to put her clothes back on her because she was too tired to do it herself, and then he had gently encouraged her to stand up and go downstairs to the dining room.

Now she was sitting in her chair, struggling to keep her eyes open. Daryl was sitting next to her, his hand resting against her thigh as his thumb traced light circles on her jeans, and it wasn’t doing anything to help her stay awake, in fact, it was causing her to become more and more tired.

“God, Daryl, what the hell did you do to my sister?” Maggie said, not able to control her laughter. “She’s basically dead right now.”

In a normal situation Beth would have blushed at what Maggie was implying, but right now she was too tired to care. With every passing second, her eyelids were drooping lower and lower. She hadn’t even noticed that she was loosening her grip on her fork until the loud clattering sound of it hitting her plate caused her to jump, causing both Daryl and Maggie to burst into a fit of laughter.

“Shut up,” Beth mumbled, pushing her plate out of the way and laying her head on the table.

“C’mon, Beth, take a bite of food,” Daryl said, sighing softly.

Beth shook her head, closing her eyes. She was too tired to even eat.

“Well, I did my part, Maggie…I got her down here.”

“She needs to eat.”

“No,” Beth groaned. “Let me sleep.”

“Ya’ don’t sleep at tables, Beth. A table isn’t a pillow; you’re gonna get a sore neck.”

“You’re the one that made me come downstairs.”

“You know why we had to.”

“We could’ve stayed upstairs.”

“No, ‘cause I don’t wanna walk upstairs and catch you two in the middle of doing…that,” Maggie said, and Beth could practically picture the way her sister shivered at the thought of catching her and Daryl being intimate.

“Then don’t come upstairs,” Beth whispered, starting to fall asleep.

“Look. I’m completely fine with you two bein’ together and I realize that you two are…” Maggie trailed off, clearing her throat, hesitating to speak any further. “I-I understand that you two are…” she trailed off again.

“Havin’ sex,” Beth offered.

“Yeah, that,” Maggie said quietly. “I understand that you two are havin’ sex, but that doesn’t mean that you two have to be goin’ at it like rabbits.”

“We’re not.”

“Um, yeah, I’m pretty sure you are. Out in the woods this morning. And I’m not stupid, I know what you two were doin’ upstairs. That’s why you’re so tired, isn’t it, Beth?” Maggie asked, purposefully teasing her sister.

Daryl scoffed. “Goin’ at it like rabbits? You have no room to speak. I remember all those times at the prison…you and Glenn. You two couldn’t keep your hands off of each other, he couldn’t keep it in his pants.”

“Watch it, Dixon,” Maggie warned.

“Just statin’ the truth.”

“Anyways, just make sure you keep the door closed. And please don’t do that when I’m in the house.”

“That? You mean have sex?” Beth asked, opening one eye and looking at Maggie. “You can say it, Maggie, we’re not little kids.”

“Yeah, but you’re still my baby sister, and I’d like to imagine you as the perfect little virgin that’s never been touched by a man,” she said, casting a glance at Daryl.

“Sorry,” Daryl muttered.

Maggie shrugged her shoulders. “She’s growin’ up…I just don’t like it.”

Beth closed her eyes again while Maggie and Daryl continued their conversation. She tried to pay attention to it, but only managed to catch brief snippets of it as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

……………………….....................................................................................................................................................................

Daryl was completely surprised by how easily Maggie was taking this. They had been sitting at the table talking, and he didn’t even know how much time had passed. Thankfully they had moved on from talking about his and Beth’s sex life to talking about making a run into town to get supplies that they were running low on.

Daryl looked over at Beth, smiling when he saw her sleeping, her head still resting on the table, one hand resting on top of his, which was still on her thigh, and the other resting on the table. She was exhausted. It was obvious to him that she was the type of person who sleeps after sex; it made her tired, more than tired. She was completely opposite of him. Sex invigorated him, gave him energy. Sure, taking a nice nap after sex was nice, but he would only ever do that after sex with Beth, because lying next to Beth, her bare, sweaty skin pressed against his was one of the best things in the world.

“I should get her upstairs,” Daryl whispered, slowly rising from his seat.

“Really, Daryl, what did you do to her? I think you broke her. I’ve never seen her this tired, not even when she was little and had just had a temper tantrum,” Maggie said, laughing quietly.

“Didn’t do nothin’ to her. She’s just tired. It’s been a long day…”

“I can tell,” Maggie said. “I don’t wanna hear about it.”

“Good, because I don’t wanna talk about it,” he said, his voice barely audible as he moved closer to Beth.

He wrapped Beth’s arms around his neck and placed one of his arms around her back and the other under her legs. He very carefully lifted her from the chair, shifting her a little in his arms so she was resting more comfortable, her head lying against his chest.

“I’ll come back down and help you with the dishes. I’d keep Beth’s plate out; she’ll probably be hungry when she wakes up.”

“Alright, thanks,” Maggie said, starting to gather the plates before walking to the kitchen.

Daryl slowly walked to Beth’s room, his eyes glued to her face as he carried her. She was out; he was positive that nothing was going to be waking her up anytime soon. Walking into her room, he gently laid her down in her bed.

He stood there, watching her for a moment. She was wearing her jeans and a tight fitting shirt, and it looked uncomfortable. He walked back over to her and gingerly undid the top buttons of her shirt before slipping it over her head. He was afraid that he was going to wake her up, but she didn’t even move; her limbs were limp, weightless. Once he was positive that she wasn’t going to wake up, he undid the button and zipper on her jeans and slowly took them off, revealing her porcelain skin. He grabbed one of his shirts lying on the ground of her room and slipped it over her head before covering her up with the blankets.

Daryl walked back into the hallway, quietly closing the door behind him. Beth needed her sleep, and he didn’t want anyone to wake her up. He made his way back down to the kitchen, where Maggie was washing the dishes.

“She’s all tucked in. Ain’t gonna be waking up soon.”

“Thank you,” Maggie whispered, looking at Daryl, offering him a warm smile.

“No problem…can’t let the girl sleep at the table, she’ll have a kink in her neck.”

“You know, earlier today I hated you, despised you even,” Maggie said, laughing a little. “Hell, I even considered killing you for a few seconds.”

“Wow…thanks, Maggie.”

“Shut up, I’m still talking.”

Daryl shook his head, chuckling as he picked up the dishtowel and began to dry the dishes.

“I hated you, but now I’m starting to like you again. You’re good with her, Daryl. I can tell that you care for her, that you aren’t going to hurt her and that you aren’t taking advantage of her. She loves you, and you love her, and honestly, that’s all I can ask for for her.”

Daryl cleared his throat, and looked away, knowing that a light blush was starting to spread across his face.

“Thanks, for um, not bein’ mad…and not killing me.”

Maggie nodded. “Now you two just need to tell everyone else. Rick and Glenn know.” 

“Yeah, and I don’t think they’re too happy about it.”

Maggie looked at Daryl. “Hey, whenever you two decide to tell everyone, just remember that I’m on your side.”

Daryl looked back to Maggie, nodding slightly. “Thanks.”

He only wished that everyone was going to be as accepting as Maggie was being. He hoped that Rick and Glenn had gotten over the initial shock of the news and wouldn’t be a problem. Maggie was on his side, Beth’s overprotective big sister was on their side, so it only made sense that everyone else would be, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually really like this chapter. Maggie is accepting Daryl and Beth's relationship, and she even teases them about it. And she realizes that Daryl really does care for Beth, that he would never hurt her. But so far, we have only seen Maggie's reaction to Beth/Daryl, and a brief reaction from Rick and Glenn. Next chapter shall be interesting.
> 
> Please leave a review and tell me what you think!


	35. Chapter 35

Ch.35

They were just finishing up the dishes when he heard the front door open. Both he and Maggie turned to see who it was at the same time, a grin forming on Maggie’s lips when she saw Glenn standing in the doorway to the kitchen, Rick standing just behind him. But Daryl immediately knew that something was wrong.

“Where’s Beth?” Glenn demanded. 

“Upstairs sleeping. Why?” Maggie asked confusedly.

“I don’t want him going near her,” Glenn said sternly, pointing an accusatory finger at Daryl.

“Glenn, it’s fine.”

“It’s not fine, Maggie!”

“Yes, it is.”

“He’s sleeping with her,” Glenn stated, venom lacing his voice.

“I know that he is.”

“She’s 18! And he’s what? 80?” he said, raising his voice, obviously exaggerating the age difference to prove his point.

“I ain’t 80,” Daryl corrected.

“Close enough,” Glenn spat.

“Glenn, stop. I talked to him about it, and I talked to Beth about it.”

“And you’re okay with it? H-he’s using her just so that he can get off!”

“I ain’t using her.”

“Then what’re you doing? Huh?” Glenn bellowed, taking a threatening step towards Daryl. “You wanna call that love? Did you not see her, Maggie?” he asked, glancing at Maggie quickly before looking back to Daryl.

“Yeah, I did see her.”

“He probably forced himself on her. Probably got into her head and convinced her that it’s what she wants.” 

“Glen! Stop!” Maggie yelled, starting to get angry with what he was implying.

“I didn’t force myself on nobody,” Daryl said, letting out a shaky breath, doing his best to contain his anger.

“You’re saying she wanted it?” Glenn yelled.

“Yeah, I am!”

“She’s 18, Daryl! She doesn’t know what she wants!”

“And how would you know that? Beth knows exactly what she wants!”

“Daryl. Glenn,” Rick warned, seeing that the tension in the room was growing.

“And what do you think Hershel would think about it?”

“Glenn!” Maggie yelled again, grabbing onto his arm, clearly mad that he had brought her father into this.

Glenn opened his mouth to say more, but immediately closed it when he noticed Maggie glaring at him. He took a step backwards, away from Daryl.

“Daryl, I think we need to have a talk,” Rick said quietly, taking a step into the room. “In private.”

“Whatever,” Daryl mumbled.

Daryl watched as Maggie tightened her grip on Glenn’s arm as she began dragging him from the room. Daryl knew that Glenn was going to get yelled at. He had definitely said the wrong thing when he had brought up Hershel, and despite being angry at him, part of Daryl felt bad for Glenn knowing how angry Maggie was with him.

Rick sighed heavily and slowly walked to the table, pulling out a chair and sitting down. He ran his hands through his hair and tapped his fingertips on the table a few times before bringing his eyes to meet Daryl’s.

“She wanted it?”

“Of course she did. I didn’t force myself on her,” Daryl said, leaning back against the counter.

“And Maggie’s okay with it?”

Daryl nodded. “We talked about it. She talked to Beth. She’s fine with it.”

They both remained silent for a moment, neither of them saying anything. Daryl kept his eyes glued to Rick, but Rick wasn’t looking at him. Daryl knew that Rick was trying to process the news of his relationship with Beth, and Daryl didn’t blame him, he was surprised that he was in a relationship with Beth, too.

“I ain’t lookin’ for your approval,” Daryl muttered. “I don’t need your approval or the groups approval. You can hate it all you want, but I ain’t gonna stop being with Beth unless she tells me that she wants us to stop.”

“I’m not going to tell you to stop. I don’t really have a say. Beth’s an adult; she’s proven that. It’s just…it’s a lot to take in. You’re the last two people I thought would ever get together,” Rick said, chuckling softly.

“Yeah, I know.”

“The others…you know that they might not react that well to the news, right?”

“I know.”

“It’s not because they think you’re bad or anything, it’s just that everyone feels the need to protect Beth.”

“She doesn’t need protecting, she can protect herself.”

“I know that she can, but I still…”

“You still feel the need to protect, because you feel like you owe it to Hershel.”

“Yeah.” 

“And the others, they still see her as the girl on farm, at the prison, the girl that they protected and kept sheltered. Carol treats her almost like a daughter.”

Rick nodded slowly.

“I got all the approval that I need, Rick. Maggie’s fine with it. She trusts me, trusts that Beth’s capable of making her own decisions. That’s all that I need. If nobody else accepts it, I don’t care.”

Rick looked at Daryl again, nodding slowly. “Are you going to tell the others, or are you going to wait for them to find out by themselves?”

“I’dunno. I’ll do whatever Beth wants us to do. If she wants to tell everyone, then we’ll tell everyone, but if she wants to keep it a secret, then we’ll keep it a secret. It doesn’t really matter to me.”

“I’m sorry for how I reacted…”

“It’s fine.”

“And Glenn, he’ll get over it.”

Daryl laughed a little. “Glenn’s gonna get a good yelling from Maggie.”

Rick began to stand up from his chair, shaking his head slightly, a small smirk on his face.

“Hey,” Daryl said before Rick could leave the kitchen. “Maggie and I were talking. We need to go on a run soon. We’re starting to run low on things. I was thinking of going on a run in a few days. We need to put a list together of what we need.”

“Alright. I’ll check the supplies.”

“I’m gonna take Beth with me. She’ll know what Judith needs.”

“It’s just gonna be the two of you?”

“Don’t know. Maggie said that she might come. She’s nervous about Beth going on a run, wants to be there in case something goes wrong.”

“I’ll ask around, see what everyone needs. I’ll get you a list by tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” Daryl mumbled, watching as Rick walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just going to apologize first before I say anything else. I'm sorry that this chapter is so short, just like the last few chapters have been short. I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't want to say that I've lost interest in this story, because I haven't, I think I'm just having a stretch of writer's block when it comes to this story...maybe it has to do with all of the school work I've had lately or maybe it has to do with the lack of Beth in TWD (I'm still anxiously awaiting her return!!!), I don't really know. I may rewrite this chapter, but I'm not sure yet. I'm hoping that the next chapter will spark a few more ideas in my mind and give me more direction with this story. The next chapter will be more action packed, so it will be a change from the last few chapters.
> 
> I'm not saying that this chapter serves no point at all to the story, because it does. I think it's important that we see the group's reaction to Daryl and Beth's relationship. Maybe I just don't like writing these chapters or maybe I'm just not good at writing these chapters. Who knows. 
> 
> Please stick with me through this! I just need to collect my thoughts and figure out which direction I want to go with this story! Once again, the next chapter will have more action, so it should be a nice change of pace and will hopefully allow me to write a longer chapter!
> 
> Please leave a review! I really want to know what you think. Reviews honestly give me and idea of what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. Constructive criticism...maybe that's what I need right now. Is there a direction you want me to take this story? Is there something you want to see happen? Is there something from a previous chapter that you really like? Is there something that you want to see more of? Is there something that you absolutely hated?


End file.
